If Only We Could Go Back In Time
by LastTimelordChild
Summary: (AU Where Freed never went to Tenrou Island) One year of dangerous darkness. Something that consumed Freed Justine. Six years of acceptance that even in present time left a sour taste in his mouth. However, in six years he was able to start all over again. Picking up the pieces that were shattered when he heard the words "Tenrou Island disappeared, there were no survivors."
1. Chapter 1

_One year of dangerous darkness. Something that consumed Freed Justine._

 _Six years of acceptance that even in present time left a sour taste in his mouth. However, in six years he was able to start all over again. Picking up the pieces that were shattered when he heard the words "Tenrou Island disappeared, there were no survivors."_

* * *

 **Year X791**

On the day the lost Fairies returned home, Lamia Scale was filled with enthusiastic mages. Every single one ready to accomplish a mission and try to rid themselves of the title of second strongest guild in Fiore.

One of Lamia Scale's S-Class Wizards was sitting at the back of the guild hall. A small smile graced his lips as another strong wizard began to speak.

The two mages were Freed Justine and Lyon Vastia. It was a strange pair, no one would deny that. The bond, however, was a strong one seeing as Lyon was the one who brought Freed to Lamia Scale all those years ago. Their bond only grew when Freed was an official wizard of the guild. Rising the rank quickly and gaining the title of S-Class within three years of his stay.

As they continued to speak in regards to the Grand Magic Games that were to be held in less than four months they took note of a ruckus that was going on in the front of the guild hall.

"Where's Freed!? I need to talk to him, it's important!" A very familiar voice screamed.

Wizards took heed of the urgency of the demand and began to point to where the man in question sat.

Lyon threw a worried glance at Freed, not hesitating to place a hand on his arm. Just an act of support for whatever was to come.

Chelia broke through the crowd with a blush on her cheeks and her chest heaving. Her lungs working as fast as they could so the God Slayer could return back to normal breathing.

"Freed!" She called out one last time. There was something in her voice that really unsettled the rune mage. It seemed that she was the bearer of some very important news. Freed made sure that he stayed out of anything that would draw attention to himself. Having Chelia calling out to him set off alarms in his head.

"What is the matter Chelia?" Freed asked the younger girl. His voice was a bit higher than he wanted it to be, but he just couldn't help it.

Lyon saw the worry in Freed's eyes as the rune mage moved closer to him; trying to get a better look at Chelia. With the added contact Lyon took the chance to move his hand up Freed's arm and place it on his shoulder.

"Freed, they found it!" Chelia almost cried. "They found it!"

Justine didn't understand her broken sentence so his nerves were beginning to turn to annoyance.

"Chelia speak more clearly! I don't understand what you are trying to tell me!" He almost screamed.

There was something wrong, he could feel it. He didn't know what was going on with him, but the back of his left hand was almost burning.

The God slayer took a deep breath until she spoke again. The flush on her cheeks was close to gone, but that was only to be replaced with a shining of tears. The girl was always a fan of theatrics.

"They found Tenrou Island, Freed. They also found survivors." She breathed out.

When the words finally registered in Freed's mind everything around his stopped. His body sat frozen in place. The news was a punch across the face for Freed. Everything he thought he knew for the past seven years vanished and a strange feeling formed in his stomach. He stared blankly past Chelia as he tried to find his bearings again.

Lyon was in the same state. However, he found his voice way before Freed was able to snap out of his trance. "Chelia, are you certain that the island was found?" Lyon asked for clarification. His voice sounding a bit desperate.

If what the girl said was true then Lyon knew what that meant. Freed was going to leave the guild. He was going to go back to Fairy Tail, his true family. Lyon never expected the ache in his chest when he came to terms with that fact.

"Blue Pegasus was the one to find them." She answered.

"I need to leave for a mission." Freed finally voiced.

The statement threw both Lyon and Chelia for a loop. They looked at their friend with confusion and worry. Had he not understood what Chelia said? Was he in shock?

Lyon was the first to react. He pulled Freed roughly back and grabbed both his shoulders. "What do you mean you need to go to a mission? Don't you understand what this means?" He screamed.

Something deadly flashed behind Freed's eyes. With lightning fast speed he pushed Lyon's hands away from him. "Why does it matter if the island was found?" Freed asked. "In no way does this have anything to do with me." He added with fire.

He wasted no time in getting up from his seat. A dark cloud hung over his head while he walked past Chelia, who was at a loss for words.

Lyon was hit with a sudden bought of anger that had him shooting up from his own seat. "This has _everything_ to do with you!" He screamed out to the rune mage.

The sudden declaration had the entire guild silencing themselves.

Freed just ignored the stares and what Lyon had just said. He was not ready to deal with anything at that moment. His heart was pounding, his breathing was coming out in shallowing pants. Everything seemed to be closing in on him. When he reached the door he threw it open wanting nothing more than to get some fresh air into his system. The last thing he heard before leaving the guild was Lyon calling his name.

The sun blinded Freed on his way out. The pain meeting his eyes was comforting. It was something that cleared his thoughts helping him think while he walked down the street.

 _How was it possible that they were able to survive seven years? What was Freed going to do? There was no way that he was returning. He worked too hard for the life that he had now. Everything he did was to get over the loss of his family. For seven years he believed that Evergreen, Bickslow, and Laxus had all be dead. He mourned them, sheading countless tears and building walls around himself so he wouldn't be hurt again. Everything changed for him in the past seven years, however, one thing that stayed in tack was his loyalty. At that moment his loyalty was to Lamia Scale. The guild that had given him a home when he thought that he would never have one again._

As he continued to blindly walk down the street the following thought stuck him the hardest.

 _Wait, if they found the island. That means that Evergreen, Bickslow, and Laxus were alive._

Why was that idea so frightening?

Evergreen knew something was wrong the moment she stepped foot into the new Fairy Tail guild hall.

However, Bickslow beat her to the punch. "Where the hell is Freed?" He asked.

At that Laxus was turning around and looking all over the guild trying to find familiar long green hair. When the rune mage couldn't be found confusion struck the entire group.

Evergreen got up from the table walking towards the fourth guild master. "Oi, Macao! Where's Freed?" She yelled over the commotion.

The fire mage was caught off guard by the question. Choking on his beer and spitting it all over Wakaba. He coughed for a few more moments causing Ever's patience to disappear.

"Well? Do you know where he is? Is he on a mission?" She crossed her arms over her chest sending a threatening glare to the man. Her eyes began to glow showing clear sings of her intentions of turning Macao into stone.

The man was quick to recover from his near death experience. He turned to face Evergreen ignoring his angry friend. When he realized what Evergreen asked his eyes widen slightly. "I'm not sure what happened to him. He vanished six years ago after the guild was thinking of disbanding."

Evergreen had not expected to hear that. Bickslow and Laxus was in the same state, their mouths were hung open as they tried to figure out what that all meant.

"What the hell do you mean he vanished?" Laxus demanded. His stormy grey eyes were trained on Macao.

Macao was glad that Fairy Tail's strongest was back, but he was still the guild master and he was not going to let anyone just walk over him. He straightened up and tried his hardest to look like a figure of authority.

"I asked him to leave one year after your disappearance. It was what was best for him at the time. Knowing Freed, I would say he joined another guild." He said simply.

The way Macao had said that had the entire Thunder Legion seething with anger.

In their eyes Freed was the most loyal member of Fairy Tail. He would never have abandoned his family in an hour of need. Evergreen, Laxus, and Bixslow saw the way the guild had been abused when they were gone. Freed was not someone who would have just gotten up and left knowing that something like that could have happened.

"Come on, our baby would never do that!" Bickslow tried to argue. His expectations for Freed might have been the highest of the group.

Macao could only shake his head.

"You all don't understand what he went through. It was better if he left when he could." Macao said that with a more hurt tone. It was like he was reliving some sort of sad memory. Maybe he was, with all that Fairy Tail had gone through, that idea wasn't that much of a stretch.

Evergreen let her shoulders fall in defeat. She was clearly hurt by the news of her Captain. "Do you have an idea of where he could have gone at least?" She questioned, her words laced with a desperate tone.

Her answer was a sad nod.

Bickslow just walked back to their table, his joyous mood ruined. Evergreen followed close behind.

Laxus was the last to move from his spot. A million thoughts racing through his mind.

 _What did Macao mean by "You don't understand what he went through"? Had something happened to Freed while Laxus was gone? Was he even alive?_

The last thought had Laxus fighting back a shiver.

He gathered himself back and walked to Evergreen and Bickslow. Who at this point had their heads down thinking up of places that their Captain could be. A few other mages who had heard of Freed's disappearances were sharing in the shock and sadness coming off the Thunder Legion.

Laxus couldn't help but think how strange the entire guild felt without Freed. With the absence of the rune mage it dawned over Laxus how important he was.

At that moment Laxus came to a conclusion. He wasn't home, not really. Not until Freed was right by his side again just like old times.

But was he too late? Seven years is an awfully long time.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Welcome back to another chapter of "If we could only go back in time." I hope you are all enjoying it so far. Tell me what you think in the comment box below. Also I have a question, would you all like a playlist for this fic? I would be posting it on 8tracks. Every song that would be on that playlist would have a small summary as to why I chose it.**_

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The party that Fairy Tail held went on for three days.

Booze was flowing through everyone's body making their sorrows all go away. Even the Thunder Legion was able to dull the pain inflicted by the loss of their Captain. They were all having a good time talking to people they hadn't talk to in seven years.

Elfman and Evergreen finally found a way to talk and not have it break out into an argument. Bickslow made sure to point that out to Ever's annoyance.

Sadly, however, it seemed that the Gods were not ready to see the Thunder Legion having a good time. When Lamia Scale came to visit to see if rumors were true Laxus didn't like the way Lyon stared at him.

As if the Ice make mage was holding something from him. His eyes screaming "If you try anything, I will fight you!" Then that was the moment when a gust of wing flew into the guild. With it carried a very familiar scent, which even after seven years never changed.

It was Freed's. For a moment Laxus had thought that his Captain had come back home, but there was something that blended with Freed's scent that was much stronger. Clear evidence that he was nowhere near the guild, his scent had only mixed with someone else's.

Laxus made sure to concentrate on the smell. He ruled out that it was any of the visiting Lamia Scale members until he stopped when Lyon's scent hit him. There was no mistaking it. Freed's scent was all over him. A ball of possessiveness drove Laxus to clutch his mug of ale. Bickslow took note of his friend's distress with worried eyes that were hidden by his mask.

"Yo, baby. What's wrong?" He asked in a hushed tone.

The Lightning mage took a moment to try and compose himself but the more he smelt Lyon the more his anger was growing. There was something wrong with the way the Ice mage smelt. Laxus couldn't say what it was, but it was something that made acid rise at the back of his throat.

Laxus would admit that during his time of exile -which he was still doing- he had a lot of time to think. Most importantly he had time to reflect over his actions and emotions that seemed to have escaped him during the battle of Fairy Tail. One thing he figured out was that Freed was someone who had become more than a friend. For a while Laxus thought that it might have been that he saw Freed as a brother, but that didn't explain why he was reacting the way he was. Something was the matter with Laxus that even he wasn't able to figure out.

To Laxus, Freed was no longer a friend. He was something more, but Laxus didn't know what.

"Lyon knows where Freed is." Laxus all but growled.

Bickslow was surprised with the answer he had gotten. He took a moment to look at the man in question and saw the way he was fawning over Juvia. The sight was a strange one, but it didn't stop the next question to escape his lips.

"How the hell do you know?"

Laxus took another deep breath to make sure that he wasn't overreacting. Damn was that a bad mistake. The smell alone was throwing his emotions all over his head. There was anger at the thought that Lyon had been anywhere close to Freed. There was relief at the thought that Freed was alive. There was confusion at the thought of how Lyon had been able to be covered in Freed's scent so fully.

"He stinks of Freed." Was all Laxus said before he got up and marched up to Lyon.

Bickslow looked at Laxus' retreating form and came up with the same question the blonde was looking answers for. "How is it that he smells like Freed?" He called out to Laxus.

Yet, it was too late. The blonde was pushing past his guild mates with his sights trained on Lyon who was standing next to some woman with long thick pink hair. Gray was with them as well, it seemed that he had tried to pick a fight with his ex-classmate. His own jealousy of Lyon in regards to Juvia escaping his tightly sealed composure.

Laxus didn't waste time on pleasantries, his mind was racing a million miles a minute trying to figure out one thing. _"Why do you smell like my Freed?"_

 _Wait "my Freed…" what the hell did he mean by that._

The thought alone was a bit frightening for him. When did he start thinking of Freed as his?

Lyon finally noticed the large blonde after turning away from Gray, whose attention was on the great Salamander. "Can I help you?" He asked rather defensively.

The Ice make mage wasn't going to ask oblivious. He knew who was in front of him. It was the great Laxus Dreyar. Freed would have been an idiot if he hadn't mention the man to Lyon. Not only that, but Lyon would have been a fool for not knowing the name of the one of the strongest wizards of Fairy Tail in the first place.

His question seemed to be enough to snap Laxus out of whatever trance he was in because the moment he heard Lyon's words his eyes harden to a deadly glare filled with rage, jealousy, and possessiveness.

"Where's Freed?" Was all Laxus would say. He couldn't bring himself to ask why Lyon smelt the way he did. The answer he knew he would have gotten would have been the last straw for him.

The woman with pink hair was the one to speak. "Well, our Freed is on a mission." Her eyes were wide with innocence and the sort of fake kindness that was oozing off her was sickening to Laxus.

Laxus didn't like that response. "What do you mean yours?" He asked. The idea of Freed in a different guild was still something that wasn't really able to register in his brain.

Sherry was a bit taken back by the response, not knowing what the large man was meaning.

Lyon finally was given the chance to speak and before he did so he took a step forward and made sure to have Sherry behind him.

He looked Laxus dead in the eye when he said the next words. "He's been a part of our guild for that last six years. I would have to say that we have been granted with the right to call him ours just like he would call us his."

For some reason Laxus couldn't help but think that there was an inferred _mine_. He knew that Lyon was trying to say something, but he was holding himself back.

 _Freed isn't yours in anyway Snowflake! He belongs to me, he belongs to Fairy Tail._

"The moment that he hears that we're back he won't be yours much longer." Laxus shot back.

At that Lyon had the guts to smirk.

 _Oh, you're just asking me to kick your ass!_

"He was one of the first to know of your return. Yet, he still hasn't shown up to welcome you back. That must be a sign." Lyon said triumphantly.

Sherry gasped at her guild mate's words.

"Lyon stop that! We mustn't spew out hate when there should be nothing but love! It's clear that Laxus loves Freed dearly! Maybe Freed's just been busy!" Sherry called out. She was tugging at Lyon's shoulder and looking at Laxus with apologetic eyes. She was trying her hardest to fix the situation.

Funny that when the wolf howled the pack wasn't that far behind.

The moment that they heard Sherry in distressed Evergreen and Bickslow were at Laxus' side. Not to try and calm him but ready for a fight.

"It's true…" Lyon said with something close to a sneer. His own possessiveness clear in the way his eyes shined. After all Freed had gone through because of the man standing before him, Lyon was not going to treat Laxus with any sort of respect. Having Freed going through hell was something that he never wanted to see again. If keeping him away from Laxus prevented that from happening again then that was exactly what he was going to do.

Jura took note of the commotion that was happening towards to front of the guild. He gave Makarov a small nod before he pushed off from the bar counter. Marching towards the pair of angry men.

"Both you need to calm down!" He roared.

All eyes were on the Wizard Saint the moment he let his voice be heard.

"If you are only going to causing trouble here then we might as well take our leave." He said that staring straight at Lyon. Who at this point was able to calm down somewhat.

Lyon shrugged off Sherry's hold on his shoulder and began making his way to the door.

Sherry was close behind but not before she gave a small smile at the Thunder Legion who were still tightly wound up.

Jura just ignored the Fairies entirely. His business with Makarov was done so he began to follow Lyon and Sherry out of the guild hall.

Yuka took pity on the team and walked up to them with no ill intent. His wore a small smile with his hands held behind his back. "I do apologize on behalf of Lyon. He is a very short tempered mage."

Laxus looked at Yuka with some hesitation, not truly trusting any mages from Lamia Scale at that point.

"As for Freed. He is doing well, this was just a bit too much for him to take in. He thought you were all dead for seven years." He said. The last part laced with an almost pity tone.

Evergreen gasped in shock. She hadn't thought about it that way at all. Everyone in the guild had been so welcoming and they never once brought up the idea that they thought Fairy Tail's strongest were dead. Having it put into perspective was rather frightening.

"Do you think he'll want to come back?" She asked softly. All the fight in her vanished and was replaced with a sort of fatigue.

Yuka looked Evergreen over and his eyes soften when they met hers. "I'm not sure of that. We haven't seen him the last few days."

Bickslow gave an understanding hum. He then rub his face under his mask to try and process everything that was sort of forced on him.

Laxus looked down at the floor finding it oddly fascinating. His throat was tight, preventing him from speaking at all. _Freed thought you were dead._ He thought.

For some reason that was something that really did it for Laxus.

Yuka took note of the way Laxus' body just began to fold in on itself. He could feel the intense magical energy coming off him in waves. His emotions clear in the way Yuka could feel his distress.

There was no point in dwelling in such things when he too needed to figure out what was to be done in the next few months. He knew for a fact that his guild would be put against Fairy Tail very soon. Laxus and his team didn't need to worry of never seeing Freed, because they might just see him in a way they were never used to.

"Do not worry, you will see your friend soon." He said lastly, spinning on his heel and walking out of the guild following his retreating friends.

Laxus took this as his chance to watch Lamia Scale walk off and with it went Freed's scent.

"… _Laxus loves Freed dearly!"_ Sherry had said.

Was that true? Did Laxus love Freed, well of course he did. Freed was Laxus' closest friend, but there was something nagging him at the back of his mind. Freed was starting to turn into something more. Laxus was scared to figure out what that was, but he just knew one thing and that was that Freed needed to come back home.

"Freed baby thought we were dead…" Bickslow said almost in disbelief.

* * *

As the days passed: Laxus was brought out of exile, Freed returned from his mission, the flecks of blood in his short green hair sending Lyon and Sherry into a frenzy. When everyone was settle and the news of Tenrou's appearance was no longer a shock but a miracle, guilds across the land of Fiore were choosing who would represent them in the Grand Magic Games.

Fairy Tail chose Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Hearfilia, Wendy Marvell, and Natsu Dragneel. However, there was a secret Team B that no one was prepared for.

Lamia Scale chose Jura Neekis, Chelia Blendy, Yuka Suzuki, Lyon Vastia, and Freed Justine.

Sadly, however, if Freed knew what he would have had to face then he would never have entered into the games.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello everyone! Welcome back, this is the finished and corrected version of chapter three! Thank's to my amazing beta I was able to make this story ten times better! Also I have created a playlist for this fic! If anyone is interested to listen to it, it is called "The Mustang Kids are Back!" In 8tracks! You can't miss it seeing as it has Freed and Laxus as the cover! Hope you like this new chapter. If you did don't forget to leave me a comment down below!**_

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Throughout the last few months the entire land was buzzing with energy. With mages training for the Grand Magic Games everyone knew that they were in for good tournament. Many were excited to see Fairy Tail return and others were already rooting for their favorite guild, Sabertooth.

"Now tell me again why I decided to enter into these games?" Freed asked as he walked down the streets of the royal city with his teammates.

Lyon laughed softly, looking over at the rune mage with a raised brow. "I believe that you would have rather entered the games then be spun by the Old Hag."

At that Freed rolled his eyes trying to hide the amused smile. "Cheeky." Was all that he said.

Jura took that in with a boisterous laugh. Yuka chiming with him.

Chelia took this as her chance so she pushed past the two older men to try and reach Freed and Lyon who were leading the group.

"Freed?" She asked excitedly.

The man in question turned around at the sound of his name. When he saw the state the young girl was in, he knew what she was going to ask. Her wide bright eyes and shaking form was clear evidence of one thing.

"Chelia, you are not buying any sweets. I promised Sherry that I would make sure that you would eat well after your training." He said as a matter of fact, his tone carrying something definitive.

The God Slayer let her shoulders fall in dejection. Her eyes began filling up with crocodile tears.

It was amusing how she hadn't changed in the last six years. She was still using her emotions to her advantage.

Lyon shook his head in mock disappointment.

Then suddenly, Freed came up with an idea.

"You know Chelia, I think I changed my mind. Seeing as you have worked very hard in the last few months, I think it's only right to reward you. Maybe you can buy me some sweets as well." His words hung in the air for a moment. All the other men were looking at him as if he had lost him mind. Though considering what Freed had just agreed to, they weren't that far off.

Chelia, on the other hand, could barely contain her excitement. She jumped up in the air, her magic giving her another few feet. The moment her feet touched the ground again she was off like a cheetah.

However, not before taking a tight hold of Lyon's wrist and dragging him down to whatever sweet shop she found.

Yuka stared after the pair in silent shock while Jura just shook his head in amusement.

"It seems that you sent one of our strongest to his death." Jura exclaimed with a sort of mock horror.

Freed could only laugh as they neared their hotel.

The streets getting even more crowded now that the guilds that were appearing. The rune mage had hoped to have kept to himself so he would just be able to get some rest, but a group of boisterous men were exclaiming their excitements. Forcing him to hear something that he was not ready to accept just yet.

"Did you hear that Fairy Tail is here? I heard that Natsu almost fought the Twin Dragon Slayers from Sabertooth!"

"You're kidding," another said, "I saw Laxus Dreyar walking around with two of his teammates."

Soon enough the men began to predict the outcome of the Games.

Freed tuned them out after he heard those words. His heart began to race and his body froze in the middle of the street.

Jura and Yuka took note of that and their carefree attitudes were replaced with ones of worry.

"Are you alright, Freed?" Jura asked in a surprisingly soft tone. Memories of years ago came flooding through his mind. Freed in this very same state six years ago would have been covered in runes of pain and darkness. His face would be wet with tears and his neck an angry red. The guild mark there covered in scratches.

Those were nights where the loss of Fairy Tail was still painfully fresh in Freed's heart. His own mind playing sick tricks on his emotions.

When Jura was faced with that sight he knew that Freed was on the verge of breaking and that it was up to him and the rest Lamia Scale to try and keep him together. For them, family was everything, one guild member's pain was a pain that would be shared and felt by everyone else. With that in mind, Jura was not going to let Freed suffer any longer. Placing a large hand on the rune mage's shoulder, he shook him slightly.

"Freed, are you alright?" He asked one last time.

The Wizard Saint got no response.

Jura moved his spare hand to the rune mage's other shoulder to try and coax a reaction out him. Freed's body only gave a slight shiver that seemed run right through him, while his eyes glazed over as he came one step closer to breaking down.

People around the trio began to stare, whispering amidst themselves, asking what was going on with the strange man.

Yuka acted quickly and began moving in front of both Jura and Freed, trying his hardest to grant his friend some sort of protection from prying eyes.

Freed at this point was still a mute. His eyes were wide with something that resembled fear and something else much sadder. Jura was beginning to truly worry for the younger man.

The rune mage was too far gone to notice the Wizard Saint pushing him forward, away from prying eyes and towards their hotel.

All he could take in was the fact that Fairy Tail was here and if he knew Fairy Tail at all, then the guild would be entering the Games. Freed would be forced to face the family that he abandoned. The thing that truly pushed him over the edge however, was knowing that Laxus was somewhere in the city with Evergreen and Bickslow. Having that information was confusing. He didn't know how to feel. Now that he knew that the people that he cared for the most were alive, Freed wanted to rush to them, to tell them how much he missed them, to hug them and never let go.

Another part of him was scared to death.

He wasn't ready to face their ghosts just yet. His mind was still trying to comprehend the fact thatat they weren't dead, that they were alive and well. That he wouldn't wake up tomorrow and realize it was all a dream.

His mind was screaming at him.

Why was he so scared of the idea of them being here? Was it the fact that he had left Fairy Tail in one of its weakest times? The Guild had needed someone there to make sure that it was protected, to make sure it was not forced to go through what it had gone through. During the first year after Tenrou's disappearance that was what Freed had been, but it had been killing him. He needed to leave that guild, get himself out of the self-destructive mindset that being there had placed him in. He was scared, because he knew that when he saw his old team again they would look at him with anger and betrayal. A part of him didn't care though; he knew that he had did what he did to keep himself alive. He changed in the last seven years.

So much so that the people he once called family might not even recognize him.

He was not going to put himself through that pain. He was going to stay with Lamia Scale no matter what. They were his new family; he wasn't going to abandon them. Not like he had in the past.

As he slowly came back to the world around him, he couldn't help but notice the green of a very familiar dress.

As Evergreen pushed through the crowd, familiar, vibrant green hair caught her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of who could be the owner of such hair.

She tried to look over the sea of moving bodies, just to find even a glimpse of that color again, but with no luck.

Her shoulders fell and with a broken spirit went back to where she knew Laxus and Bickslow were going to be. When she reached the bench she'd left them at, she saw both men arguing quietly with their heads bent over a map.

It was clear that they had no idea how to read it.

"Have you both figured it out yet?" She asked in nothing short of annoyance. This entire trip had made her jumpy. The thought of seeing their Captain again was making her far more than just anxious.

Bickslow took a step back from the map. It was clear that he was glaring at her even with half his face was covered by the mask.

"It's not my fault that Laxus' won't help! He's been distracted ever since he got a whiff of Freed's scent!"

The man in question just crumpled up the map in his hands and turned it to cinders with a high voltage of electricity.

"Don't go saying shit like that when I know you want to see him just as much as I do!"

At that Bickslow let his guard down and he looked sorry for a change. Looking at Laxus he nodded his head in understanding.

"You're right. It's just this whole thing has been putting me on edge." Bickslow admitted.

Evergreen knew where her friend was coming from, so she let them know that she figured out where they were staying. Iit was nice to see her boys relax as they started following her towards their hotel.

It was only a matter of time until they would be able to see their Captain.

The Thunder Legion only hoped that it would be under good terms, and that they wouldn't have to meet in the arena.

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 _ **For more coverage on this fic you can follow me on Tumblr at loverofmalec!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Hello everyone! Welcome back! I want to apologize if the last few chapters were a bit all over the place. I know that it might have been a little hard to keep track off, but now that we are actually getting into the Games I am going to make sure that event wise the story is rather smooth. Thanks again to my amazing, stunning, brilliant, beta! They are my angel! I hope you like this chapter of "If we could only go back in time." Next chapter we are going to have a bit more FRAXUS so stick around for that!**_

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"The rules state that all teams competing need to be in their respective inns by midnight." Mira said in a soft voice. There was a book in her lap containing the rules for the Grand Magic Games that she was going over.

Juvia looked up from the small ball of water she was having hover in her hand to watch Mira. "Juvia thinks that it must be a form of bonding!" She chimed with a smile.

Mira smiled at the water mage and ignored the grunt coming from Gajeel.

"How would they even know if we were in the room at all?" Gajeel tried to argue. He was lying down on his bed gnawing on a steel bolt that he had stolen from an old carriage.

Laxus, who was leaning against the doorway of the balcony, hummed in agreement.

Jellal spoke up. "I'm sure that these games have a way of tracking it's players."

"Jellal is right. We would do better by not questioning it." Mira declared.

"Mira-sama!" Juvia warned.

They had been told not to call Jellal by his actual name.

A blush of embarrassment colored the She-Devil's cheeks when she began to apologize to Jellal.

However, the pair had no time to reconcile when the clock struck midnight.

The sound of the clock chiming broke through the silence and everyone held their breath waiting for any form of instructions.

When the chiming stopped a booming voice was heard throughout all of the Royal City.

"Attention, guild members who've gathered for the Grand Magic Games! G'morning!"

At the sudden news of the games everyone in the room ran to the balcony. They looked up at the sky to see a giant pumpkin head.

"The hell is this?" Gajeel asked outraged.

Laxus looked up with confusion, but even that couldn't hide the annoyance in his voice. "Shut up, Gajeel!"

"The preliminary round that will narrow the 113 participating teams down to a measly 8 will begin!"

Mira looked shocked at the sound of so many teams. "Just how many guilds have decided to put in more than one team?"

Juvia took a step closer to Gajeel, staring warily at the hologram of the pumpkin. "Juvia doesn't know if we can make it through the preliminary round."

On the other side of town other guilds were having the same shocked attitude.

"So 12:00 was the start of the preliminary round?" Lyon asked in confusion. There had never been a preliminary round before. Why start now?

Jura stood up from his seat and walked to Lyon's side. "113 guilds, narrowed down to only 8 in one fell swoop…"

Freed let Chelia hold his arm as they moved outside to stare up at the floating pumpkin.

"There's so many guilds!" The God slayer observed.

"With more and more guild entering every year, the games are getting boring is all I ever hear. So this year only eight teams will vie for our cheer! The preliminary round rules are simple!" The pumpkin head declared.

"We must be ready for anything!" Jellal declared. He took a few steps towards the railing of the balcony. The other four members of the team mirrored his actions.

Laxus took this time to eye all his comrades. They were truly Fairy Tail's strongest; it was a sure deal that they would win the games.

Then Laxus thought of something else. _If we win the games, then I'll be able to get Freed back!_

Something about that thought had Laxus' blood boiling with determination.

He then thought that somewhere in the city Freed was looking at the same thing he was. Fighting with the wrong guild and surrounded with the wrong people.

However, he was broken from his train of thought.

The earth around them began to tremble, the low sound of rumbling making his ears ring.

"What the…?" Gajeel exclaimed, clearly confused.

Juvia next to him lost her footing, but the iron dragon was able to catch her before she fell.

Mira was in the same situation, but Laxus reached out to the bar maid with a steadying hand which was able to keep her from falling.

"The earth is moving!" Juvia said with slight amazement.

Jellal shook his head, holding on to the railing. "No, the inn is transforming and look, so are the others!"

"You can't be serious!" Gajeel asked. His face was starting to turn an unflattering shade of green.

Laxus was in the same state, his stomach rolling over, forcing acid to rise at the back of his throat.

Mira took note of her teammates distress. She let her hand fall on Laxus' shoulder hoping that her touch would be enough to stop the swaying of Laxus' feet.

Juvia had her arms around Gajeel's chest to try and keep him grounded as well.

Even over the sound of the transforming inns the hologram was still able to be heard.

"You will participate in a race! The Domus Flau stadium is the goal. The first eight teams to reach it will qualify for the Games." As the mascot said those words paths started to form in front of the balcony.

"Are we supposed to use those?" Laxus groaned. He reached out for the railing for support.

Mira eyed the path that began to extend towards them, noting the many that went into different directions around the Royal City.

"You're free to use magic! There are no limitations! Remember, only the first eight teams to reach the goal will clear the preliminary round! However, all five team members must cross the goal for it to count. Also…we are not responsible for any loss of life that happens in the labyrinth."

Now that the building had stopped moving both dragon slayers were able to recover from their motion sickness.

Laxus pushed away from Mira giving her a nod in thanks. The bar maid smiled in return.

Juvia kept her hands on Gajeel's arms while the man rolled his neck to loosen up his muscles.

"Let the Grand Magic Games' preliminary Sky Labyrinth round begin!" The pumpkin declared.

"It's a race, huh…." Laxus said.

There was something in his tone that had everyone looking at him, smirks forming on all their faces.

Gajeel was the first to act. He pushed off Juvia and ran towards the railing. Jumping over it and sprinting across the newly made path. "Come on, Team Fairy Tail! We have a race to win!" He screamed over his shoulder.

That seemed to snap everyone out of their shock, because soon after they were right on Gajeel's tail, all five members of Fairy Tail Team B running up the path toward the labyrinth.

The moment they were finally inside they had to stop and look around.

"This must be three-dimensional…" Jellal said.

Gajeel looked around, turning on his heel. "Where are we supposed to go?" He asked.

"We have to make it to the arena." Mira answered.

"And that would be where?" Gajeel asked again, this time with a bit of frustration coloring his voice.

Mira ignored it and pulled something out from her dress pocket. "We have to go east, which is in that direction."

A small compass pointed to the direction where her arm was stretched out. Everyone looked up the flight of stairs that would hopefully lead them to the arena. Within moments they were running up the stairs in hopes that they would make it to first place.

Looking around them they took note that it seemed that the world was upside down.

There were doors all around them, some just floating in the air while others were leading up to stairways that ended to nothing.

"We have to stay east bound to try and make it to Domus Flau" Laxus ordered.

Everyone agreed, pushing faster.

* * *

Lyon looked around, seeing the many doors and stairways.

"Where do we go from here?" He asked.

Freed, who had been able to recover from his breakdown earlier that afternoon, walked up to his teammate.

They looked in opposite directions hoping to find any sort of clue.

"This is too hard!" Chelia whined. She sat on the floor with her legs crossed and a pout on her lips.

Jura and Yuka began to discuss plans that might work for their team. However, they weren't given enough time before they began to move. Or more like the labyrinth began to rotate.

Freed lost his footing, quickly finding himself falling forward over the edge.

Lyon, acting fast, was able to wrap his arms around Freed's waist. Pressing the rune mage close to his body to try and keep their balance.

"Freed, are you alright?" He asked, his mouth ghosting over the other's cheeks.

The man in question nodded and moved his hands to rest on Lyon's shoulders.

"I'm alright, just lost my footing." He reassured.

Both men held on to one another as the maze continued to move.

Things began to tilt dangerously to the left, having all of Lamia Scale sliding down the floor. Above them mages were falling from the labyrinth to their certain dooms.

Jura used his magic to create another floor for the team to land on, but for two of them, it was too late. Lyon and Freed were free falling towards the Royal City.

"Freed, Lyon!" Chelia screamed. She tried to reach out to the two men but they were too far out. Jura pulled the girl back and had Yuka take a few steps back from the edge as well. They all stared in shock at their falling teammates.

Wind flew past Freed's ears making any other noise almost impossible to hear. He could feel Lyon burry his face in the crook of his neck. Both men trying desperately to stop their decent. Then an idea struck Freed. He moved his hands down Lyon's chest, clasping his hands around the Ice Make mage's back.

"Lyon! Hold on to me!" He ordered.

The ice mage tightened his hold on the rune mage trusting what the man was about to do.

Bright purple runes appeared on Freed's chest. Moments later wings sprouted from his back.

Suddenly the feeling of falling stopped. Freed and Lyon were suspended in air for a short moment until Freed began to fly back to their team.

Lyon looked around to see if he could see anything that would be of use. When his eyes caught sight of a lone wooden door, his eyes widened.

"Freed, I think I found the way to the arena!" Lyon declared.

The rune mage looked around in shock spotting the door. A large grin formed on his lips as he looked to Lyon. "You're brilliant!"

When they reached their team they were buzzing with excitement, sadly, Lamia Scale was anything but. Chelia had her head on Yuka's shoulder, sobbing, saying how it should be impossible that Lyon and Freed were dead. Jura was standing there was a grave look on his face. As if morning a loss. The sight itself was something comical.

Lyon and Freed looked at each other for a moment silently asking each the same question. _"do they think we died?"_

Thinking that his family's suffering lasted long enough, Freed took a step forward pulling away from Lyon, but letting his hand linger on the ice mage's wrist.

"We found a way to the arena!" He declared rather loudly.

When his teammates heard his voice the first thing they noticed was his wings. It was as if they forgot that he was able to fly.

"Now stop pouting and let's go!" Lyon was the one to speak. A smirk was on his lips when he rose his free fist up in determination. "Lamia Scale is still in this to win!"

Chelia wiped away her tears and ran to embrace Freed, breaking his hold on Lyon's wrist.

"Now let's go!" Freed repeated after Lyon. He took a step back from the younger girl and wiped away her tears.

With that, Lamia Scale was running towards the lone wooden door with power behind every step. The next time the maze moved they were ready and right back on running when it was all over. After going through the most peaceful village they had ever been too and running over an ocean they were finally able to make it to their goal.

In the end, they were the fourth group to make it to the arena, which wasn't bad. Lyon thought that they could have done better, however.

At last however, the Grand Magic Games were now set to begin.

* * *

 ** _To following this story on tumblr, my url is loverofmalec!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hello everyone! Welcome back to another chapter of "If only we could go back in time." I hope that you are enjoying it so far. This is one of the longest chapters so far, hitting the 4000 mark. It would have been longer but I needed to cut it down. Tell me what you think so far! Where do you want this to go? Also I have another question. Would you like to see Freed and Laxus battle it out? My brilliant beta thinks that it would interesting to read, but what do you all think? And do you want this fic to end right when the games end? Or do you want to see the battle of the Seven Dragons written out as well?**_

* * *

On the night of the preliminaries the seven guilds that would be competing in the Grand Magic Games were taken to their respective chambers. They were all ordered to not leave their rooms under any circumstances.

Every guild celebrated the fact that they made it to the Games, but when the day's events began to weigh on them, they rested through the night.

The following morning, they were all awakened the same way, at the same time, and given the same orders by a royal knight.

"You have seven minutes to prepare yourselves. From there you will follow me to the arena."

They did as they were told. Shortly thereafter, they found themselves walking through stone hallways trying to catch a glimpse of their opponents.

Fairy Tail Team B was trying to figure out who were going to be their competitors.

"Hopefully Erza's team made it through that maze." Mira said.

Gajeel laughed at that. "Knowing their luck, Salamander somehow fell off it cause he was being an idiot." His trade mark smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

Laxus rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but mentally agree with his fellow dragon slayer. Even Gramps didn't really have faith in Natsu's team, that's why he had Team B created in the first place.

"Gray-sama is with them! They are bound to have made through in first place!" Juvia exclaimed, her eyes shining with pride for her crush.

Jellal took in the mages before him and couldn't help but think how lucky his Erza had gotten from finding such a family.

As they followed the royal knight they could hear the cheering of the crowd get louder.

"It seems that we're finally getting closer to seeing if your fellow guild mates were able to enter the games." Jellal added lastly.

The entire team began to prepare themselves, their bodies tensed and their magic covering all of them in a sort of menacing wall.

Laxus saw a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and with that light came loud cheering and the muffled voice of the announcer.

It was time for the games to begin.

* * *

"This is so exciting!" Chelia beamed.

She was leading the group, just slightly behind the knight.

Freed held onto his sword tightly, his entire body tense like a string ready to snap. He was panicking knowing that there might be the chance of seeing his old guild. Even after six years he was not ready to face them again. The guilt was too great. After what he had done to the guild he was sure that they all resented him.

He only prayed that he would not have to face anyone from Fairy Tail. His guilt and loyalty would be put to the ultimate test then.

 _What if you see Laxus?_ His mind screamed in sudden revelation.

 _That would be near impossible_ , he reasoned, _Laxus left him the moment that he was exiled. Even after the whole Tenrou incident, Laxus would still have had to be exiled. There was no way that he would be participating in the games_.

" _I saw Laxus Dreyar walking around with two of his teammates!"_ That stranger's voice was all he needed to know that somehow Laxus was once again a mage of Fairy Tail.

When Freed dwelled on it for a moment longer he couldn't help but be glad for the blonde. Who knew what he had gone through during his time of isolation from the guild.

But even then, Laxus wouldn't be the one competing even if Fairy Tail was in the Games. Natsu and his team were the obvious choice. They were the ones who just always seemed to be getting into situations such as the ones that he was facing at the moment.

He was ripped from his train of thought by a cold hand on his shoulder.

"We're about to be announced." Lyon said.

Freed recovered quickly with a nod of understanding.

Yuka walked up to the pair listening to the tremendous cheering. "That is some crowd!" He marveled.

Jura hummed in agreement watching as Chelia became just the tiniest bit nervous. She was only fifteen after all.

The knight took a step back and nodded his head to the field.

Freed's breath hitched and Lyon gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. On reflex, Freed's hand flew to cover Lyon's own cold one. The contrast in their body temperatures was something calming to the rune mage.

"Okay, the players are about to take the field!" The commentator declared over the cheering crowd.

Lamia Scale stepped out of the tunnel into the bright morning light.

"Starting with the eighth-ranked team! Can they recapture their past glory? The group whose name clashed with their rowdiness!" The man screamed.

The crowd was going wild, everyone knowing just who the man was talking about. Sadly, for them it was not the type of excitement that you would think. The crowd was all booing.

Freed's heart was pounding in his chest, but there was something else that was making his eyes water. Blocking out the negative noise of the crowd, he let his eyes focus ahead of him.

"Fairy Tail!"

Across the field he could see his old teammates.

Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and Elfman.

They were all there standing just out of his reach. His family was still _alive_.

He could feel his heart singing with joy even when his mind was screaming that he should shy away. Telling him that he should not face his old guild because of the things that he had done.

"What!" Natsu asked in confusion. He mustn't have been informed of what the guild had turned into while he and the others were away.

"Are they booing us?" Gray said.

Lucy couldn't quite believe it herself. "What is going on here?"

"Fairy Tail has come in last place every year, but this year they survived the elimination round, even if it is in eighth place." The commenter noted for the crowd and the confused Fairies.

Freed would have laughed at that if he weren't in the verge of tears from his conflicted emotions.

"Will the Tenrou bunch that created a sensation with their homecoming now become Fiore's number one?"

"I'm just glad they're back." Mr. Yajima said with a smile and a thumbs up. "Congratulations, Fairy Tail!"

Freed looked out to them fondly. Even the feeling of guilt he was prone to experience disappeared when he let his eyes just fall over Fairy Tail's number one team. The scene was rather surreal to him, everything sort of faded around the edges.

Then suddenly to his left there was an explosion of cheering. Familiar voices that he hadn't heard in over six years assaulted his ears.

"Hooray! Woo! Yeah! Hooray, Fairy Tail!"

Freed looked in the direction of the cheering to see the entire guild of Fairy Tail.

 _Look at them! They're all alive and well!_ Freed's hands were shaking at just the mere sight of them. His eyes were burning with unshed tears. Luckily, his hair had become a curtain to hide his weakness. Then he felt something strange tugging his lips upwards.

He must have been smiling.

"Alright! Let's move on with the team that finished seventh, the hounds of hell, Quatro Cerberus!"

Over the guild chant Lyon grunted in amusement. "I am surprised that they even made it this far."

Chelia laughed along with her 'brother', staring at the four men that exclaimed "Wild Four!"

"In sixth place, the all-female guild, the dancing girls of the great deep, Mermaid Heel!" At the sound of that guild the male populous the arena began to drool like dogs.

Freed snorted at their reactions, his emotions a bit more under control now that he was given the chance. His eyes had dried as well so he looked up., watching the five women of the Mermaid Heels walk with confidence and grace.

Kagura looked up, locking eyes with the rune mage of Lamia Scale. There was a moment of tension until she gave him a nod in greeting.

The two sword wielders tended to cross paths every now and then and in the six years that Freed had been a part of Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel had been of great assistance in many missions. Freed and Kagura had become close after a mission regarding a large number of dark guilds, holding great respect for one another.

"In fifth place are the bright winds in the pitch dark, Blue Pegasus!"

At the sound of the rather curious guild, Chelia broke out into a large smile. "Look it's my brother in law!" She said excitably. Freed followed her stare and saw as Ren Akatsuki carried himself with that familiar air of indifference.

Both Freed and Lyon fought back the urge to roll their eyes.

Jura stiffened behind them. Holding the flag of their guild tighter to his chest. Yuka did the same thing, straightening his back and looking dead ahead of him. Lyon and Freed took the hint getting ready for their name to be announced.

In a cloud of pastel smoke, the announcer introduced Lamia Scale.

"Continuing with fourth place! The goddess of love and war, the holy destroyer, Lamia Scale!" The announcer proclaimed.

Freed kept up with Lyon not daring to look anywhere but ahead.

Over the crowd they could all hear their mistress. "Why did you come in fourth place? Were you slacking off, you idiots?"

Chelia looked apologetic, smiling up at the guild. "Sorry, Obaba-sama. I screwed up…"

Sadly, the powerful God Slayer had not seen where she was going so therefore, she tripped over a rock and fell on her face.

Freed reacted quickly, taking a knee in front of her and dusting off the dirt on her brow.

"You silly girl, watch where you step." He scolded, though the concerned look in his eyes told her that he wasn't really mad.

She blushed in embarrassment, batting her eyelashes.

Lyon just rolled his eyes, looked forward and took note in how they stopped right by the Fairy Tail team. In hopes to remain collected and not start a fight with Gray, he turned his attention to Freed and Chelia, both of them still on the ground.

"Chelia, don't get flustered." He warned.

She blushed a darker shade of red looking up to the ice make mage. "Sorry, Lyon."

Yuka took a step forward blocking both Freed and Chelia from view.

Natsu took that as odd. He took a step forward and began sniffing the air around them.

"Chelia is Sherry's cousin." The man offered.

Natsu ignored the strongly familiar scent to let his curiosity be known. "Cousin?"

Lucy made it to Natsu's side and saw the familiar green of Freed's hair. She gasped out in shock coming to a sudden realization.

"Is that Freed?" She asked.

At that moment everything fun and carefree about the entire meet up vanished. Lyon's prideful smile changed into a glare of warning. Chelia gasped and reached out to hold onto the dark blue fabric of Freed's coat.

Natsu took another deep breath through his nose. "It is him!" He confirmed.

Erza overheard the news and walked up to the duo with shock written over her face. "Do you mean our Freed?"

Jura nodded in answer. "Yes, _our_ Freed Justine is helping his guild Lamia Scale win these year's Grand Magic Games."

At that Freed helped Chelia up. A sort of numbness seeped into his bones when he heard his old friends' voices.

The height that he had over Yuka made it possible for Erza and the other to finally see his face.

Guilt made him bow his head letting his now short hair shield his face.

Chelia took a step away from him and looked between Lyon and Fairy Tail with worry.

"Freed! Why didn't you come to Fairy Tail after we came back?" Natsu demanded. The look of betrayal on his face would have killed Freed if he had been able to see it.

Lucy on the other hand was smiling with pure excitement. "The Thunder Legion was so worried about you! They thought something bad had happened!"

At the mention of his old team Freed visibly stiffened. His shoulders shook and his eyes once again beginning to burn with tears. This time it wasn't from positive emotions though, this was from all the guilt that had accumulated over the years for him.

Gray was thrown off by the entire situation. "Oi! Freed, aren't you going to say anything?" He balled up his fists in aggravation.

Jura stepped between the two guild. "He is your competition. You would do well to remember that."

Before anyone could say anything in regards to what Jura said, Ichiya broke the tension.

"Oh, my darling Erza! Like always you have a beautiful parfum!" The little man appeared out of thin air in front of the reequip mage.

Poor Erza was scared out of her wits before she was able to calm herself.

"I will not allow you to smell me!" She warned.

Ren took this as his chance to try and woo over Lucy. Throwing his arm over her shoulder.

"It's nice to have you back. Not like if I care or anything." He said.

She just rolled her eyes. "Have you been like this for the past seven years?"

Freed took this as his chance to recover himself before something else out of his control were to happen.

It felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest. The sudden confrontation by Fairy Tail's team was too much for him to handle.

On one hand he was glad that they were back, that he was given the chance to hear their voices after such a long time. On the other hand, the guilt that was clouding his mind and causing pain to his heart was winning over any sense of joy.

 _You left Fairy Tail! You abandoned your family, leaving them to fend for themselves! How can you face them after what you have done?_

Freed knew that he had no right or privilege to share in the joy of their return. He was meant to face the fact that he had moved on; that he had grown.

He was going to face any other member of Fairy Tail with a curt nod. Keeping himself from any form of comfort. He didn't deserve it. He was a Lamia Scale wizard now and a Lamia Scale wizard he would stay.

"Next up, finishing third in the elimination round…" The announcer finally spoke.

Dark smoke filled the other side of the arena, black raven feathers filling the air.

"Oh, my! This comes as a surprise! The first appearance of a guild in third place! The midnight mobile force, Raven Tail!"

The crowd grew silent and fear was heavy in all their hearts.

Freed's head shot up, he knew that guild. How was it possible that they made it into the Games?

"Raven Tail?" He asked flabbergasted. Worry sprouted in his chest. He knew well enough that Natsu and the others were in more danger now that Raven Tail was a part of the games.

"That's the guild of the master's son, Ivan…" Freed whispered.

Lyon heard and turned with concern. "Freed, are you alright?"

Freed looked out to the once dark guild. His eyes were wide with shock and fear, but underneath that, there was a building rage.

The man behind that wicked guild was the cause of Laxus' pain. Pain that marked Laxus for a long time.

It might have been old habits coming to resurface in Freed's subconscious, but he couldn't stand the thought of Ivan being anywhere near his Laxus.

The Master of Fairy Tail seemed to have had the same thoughts, for he was standing up in rage screaming out to whoever would hear. "You're letting a dark guild like _that_ participate in the Grand Magic Games!?"

Freed ripped his gaze away from the menacing team to watch as people tried to calm the old man.

"What does he mean by a 'dark guild'?" Yuka asked in astonishment.

"According to the official records, Raven Tail has been around for more than seven years, but they've only recently been recognized as a legitimate guild." Clarified the announcer.

Yujima spoke with a grave voice right after. "Recognized by the Guild Federation, and not as a Dark Guild, right?"

Raven Tail took its time to reach the other guilds, but when it did they stood face to face with Fairy Tail.

Freed's mind was screaming for him to do something, anything.

 _Stay away from them!_ He wanted to threaten.

"Fairy Tail." Spoke the wizard with the golden mask. "The girl was just a way of greeting."

Who was he talking about? Freed was starting to become enraged. The thought that someone had hurt a member of Fairy Tail was impossible. He took one last look at the team and then up to the stands where Fairy Tail was standing. It took him a moment to figure it out, but when he didn't catch sight of long blue hair and big soft brown eyes, he knew to who that mask man was referring to.

 _He hurt Wendy!_

He took a step forward, ready to fight every single one of Raven Tail's members.

Lyon was surprised at the sudden outburst. Not understanding what was going on, he just wrapped his arms around Freed's shoulders. Pulling him close to his chest. Even in his arms the man was rigid and trembling with dangerous rage.

Natsu was in the same state. He fangs bared ready for a fight.

"You guys hurt Wendy! I'll get you for that!"

Freed growled deep in his throat. His bangs falling forward and hiding his glowing cursed eye.

The man with the golden mask grunted in amusement. "Let's enjoy the festival." He stated.

Freed was about to snap if it weren't what Lyon did next. There was familiar weight against his cheek, soft and fleeting. Then close to his ear cool breath cascaded down his neck. "Freed, please calm down. You'll get to go at them soon enough."

Lyon looked at Freed for a moment.

A million emotions flashed in Freed's eyes, but when he turned to look back at the ice make mage they were once again the clear dark blue orbs that Lyon cherished.

"You're right." Freed whispered.

"Alright, there are still two more teams that made it through the elimination round!"

Chelia moved up to Lyon and Freed's side. "That's right, there still two teams remaining."

Lyon moved away from Freed to give him the space that he needed.

"One of those guilds must be Sabertooth." Lyon said with certainty.

Freed hummed in agreement.

"The second-place finisher…oh, this is a shocker! Will they become the soaring key with tattered wings? The unbelievable, improbable…"

The sound of thunderous lighting rang through the arena.

Freed looked out to see the Fairy Tail mark formed in a golden light, lightning flying from it. The very same lightning that he had thought he would never see again.

"Fairy Tail Team B!"

Freed was beyond shocked.

Just on the other side of the arena stood none other than Laxus Dreyar.

* * *

The man with the God like powers and the only person that Freed was truly scared to face.

"Make sure you make our entrance snazzy!" Gajeel demanded right before they were meant to go out.

Laxus growled in annoyance, but bit his tongue. With a simple snap of his fingers they were faced with a wall of pure lightning and power.

They walked in with a purpose, ready to win the Games and become Fiore's strongest guild again.

When their name was announced the crowd was cheering with confusion and excitement, the teams ahead of them taking note with acceptance.

Laxus took this as his chance to try and find Freed. At first he looked up at Lamia Scale in the stands, trying to make out the familiar sharp face and green hair. When he got no results from that he began to look out into the teams. For a reason he couldn't explain his heart beginning to race at the idea of have to fight him during the Games.

He passed Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus, and when his eyes landed on Lamia Scale he still couldn't find Freed.

That was until he met a man's eyes. They were dark blue framed with long lashes, but there was something missing in them. They lacked the light that they were known for. Right below his left eye there was a beauty mark that stood out against his pale skin. When Laxus took in all the man's face he saw how his pink lips had fallen open in a silent 'oh'. Blowing around his sharp features were short vibrant green strands of hair that just grazed his shoulder, missing the once trademark cowlicks that would have caught anyone's attention.

The blue of his coat contrasted with the white shirt and black pants. The sword at his hip being held by a hand naked of any guild mark.

 _You've change so much, Freed._

"Well, it looks like a lot of people are up in arms over a revision of the rules this time, Yajima-san."

The old man nodded before he spoke. "For this tournament, each guild could have only one team, which is nice, but they are also allowed to have two teams participating."

The announcer took that information in, but then he came to a rather sad realization. "The final round will be a battle between all of the teams, but will the members of the same guild be able to fight each other?"

Yajima stroked his chin in contemplation. "I don't think they'd have a problem with it."

Laxus could hear everything that was going around him, but it was at a lower register. All his focus was still on Freed.

The wind carried over his pure scent and Laxus wanted to rush over and just…

 _Just what? What would Laxus do when he was given the chance to talk to Freed? What did he even want from the rune mage?_ Those questions were making Laxus' head swim, but that didn't stop him from answering at least one.

The thing that Laxus wanted from Freed was reassurance that he would come back to the guild, back to _him_. Laxus just wanted Fairy Tail to feel like home again, and without Freed there, he wasn't going to get that.

If getting him back meant beating Ice Princess number two to a pulp and winning the Games, then that was exactly what he was going to do.

Suddenly though, there was a scream of protest.

Natsu broke from his team, stomping up to Laxus and the others.

"Wait!" He screamed. "We may be in the same guild, but I go all out in a showdown an' show no mercy!"

Straightening up he pointed a threatening finger to his fellow guild mates, "You guys are competing as another team, so you're the enemy! I ain't gonna lose to you bastards!"

Gajeel pushed past Laxus to face off with the great Salamander. "You took the words right out of my mouth." He said, but then a wicked smirk formed on his lips. "Eighth place team member."

From there other members began to move about, speaking with their opponents.

Laxus realized that he had a chance to try and speak with Freed. He looked over the dozens of mages trying to catch sight of green hair again.

"I'm going to warn you now, stay away from Freed." A voice snarled behind him.

* * *

 _ **Don't forget to leave me you thoughts!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hello everyone! Welcome to another chapter of "If we could only go back in time." I hope that you are all enjoying it! Oh, a reviewer a few chapters or so ago said that they felt the implied Lyon/Freed. You're not wrong my friend! There is implied Lyon/Freed which may or may not end up happening. Who knows. (whispers~ It's not...) ANYWAY! I hope that you guys like this chapter and that you tell me what you think! Do you have an recommendations?**_

* * *

Freed slowly broke free from the group of mingling mages only to have Chelia cling to his arm.

"What in the world are you doing?" He asked her.

The only response he got from the girl was a shake of her head and worry in her eyes.

Rolling his own, he pulled away from her with some effort. "Chelia, why don't you talk to Yuka about some strategies? Maybe something that can help us get the upper hand after only coming forth." He offered.

At the thought of having something to do, Chelia was glad to give Freed a quick hug and run over to Yuka.

When he was alone on the outskirts of all the socializing guilds he tried to keep his head down so as to not look at them in fear of catching a certain someone's eyes. He knew that somewhere in that group Laxus was keeping close to his team. Hopefully, he wasn't trying to find him or encounter anyone from Lamia Scale.

Knowing Laxus, Freed was certain that it would not end well. Especially if he were to come across Lyon.

Keeping his head down, Freed let everything that he had to face today sink in.

He was given the chance to see his family again, the family that he had thought dead for six years. The situation itself was emotionally taxing to say the least. He was confused and hurt. Knowing that he betrayed his guild was something he never thought he was going to have to live through, but there he was, in the middle of the royal city ready to fight his friends and family to try and claim victory for another guild.

But when he thought about it, Lamia Scale _wasn't_ just another guild. They were family just like Fairy Tail. The friends he made and the relationships that he was blessed with were nothing to just gloss over. He loved them with every fiber of his being, he would do anything for them and with that he knew that he couldn't leave them. Not like he did to Fairy Tail.

"You look so different, but not in a bad way." Said a soft and familiar voice.

Freed was violently ripped from his thoughts by the voice, so much so that he had to take a step back to try and regain his composure.

"Mirajane?" He asked in a whisper.

All he got was the woman's signature smile and the slightest of head tilts.

"Well, that isn't a proper greeting Freed." She playfully scolded, but it was clear there was hurt in her eyes. This obviously hadn't been what she expected. She had thought that Freed wouldn't have changed and that there would still be some familiarity between them. Yet, with the way he was looking at her with such fear and uncertainty it was enough to break her heart.

"Freed, stop it!" She begged.

To her dismay, the Rune Mage didn't. He was so used to feeling grief, sadness, and loneliness that he didn't know what else to feel.

"I can't Mira, not after what I did to Fairy Tail." He whispered back weakly.

The She-Devil would have cried if it weren't for the unbearable need to hold her dear friend.

"You haven't done anything wrong!" She said lastly.

Without a moment of hesitation, she closed the space between them. Throwing her arms around his neck, she pulled down his lean body so that they were pressed against one another in a long awaited embrace.

"You promised me that we would go to the Fantasia Parade together. I'm going to hold you to that." She said into the crook of his neck.

Freed was too stunned to say anything. He was overcome with emotions. His eyes began to burn and soon after he could feel his cheeks getting wet from his tears.

His walls fell down until only his bare soul was left. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her that much tighter. His throat was tight, but his vocal cords allowed him to speak a few important words.

"I thought that you were all dead…"

When Mira caught wind of his weak voice her eyes widened in astonishment. Then the weight over her heart just grew that much heavier.

She bit back her own tears and with a wavering voice said, "No need to think of that anymore, we're all back, safe and sound."

Freed relaxed into the woman's arms, content to finally have that sense of belonging once again, but it wasn't complete. There was something missing. The arms around him weren't that ones that his body craved.

Pulling away, Freed let go of Mira and quickly wiped away his tears.

Mira did the same, but the only difference was that she had a small smile on her face.

After a moment of calm both friends looked at one another. A look of wonder lit up both their eyes.

Tentatively Mira rose a hand, running her fingers through the now shortened emerald hair. She moved it out of Freed's face and noted how much older he looked. There were slight wrinkles in places where his skin used to be smooth and firm. Something in his eyes seemed to have a dulling effect to the light that she was so used to seeing.

There was something nagging at the back of her mind. Something that she needed to voice.

"Are you going to come home?" She asked softly.

Freed stiffened at that, moving away from the woman. With the added distance between them Mira was forced to let her fingers slip through Freed's hair and fall heavy at her side.

It broke both their hearts when Freed said the following words. "I don't think I can go back to Fairy Tail. Lamia Scale is my home now."

* * *

 _"I'm going to warn you now, stay away from Freed."_

Laxus knew that voice anywhere. With just having to hear it Laxus was already starting to see red clouding his vision.

Turning around, Laxus was face to face with Lyon.

"Listen hear, Ice Princess. Freed is _my_ friend, _my_ family. I'm going to do whatever I want. Which means finding him and bringing him home." Laxus all but growled.

Who the hell did Lyon think he was? Of course Laxus knew Freed the best. He knew for a fact that the moment they saw each other and finally got talking that Freed would want to come home right away.

Lyon was just putting up an act to try and scare Laxus off. As if that was ever going to work.

Then, it seemed that Lyon read his mind.

"Seven years is a long time, don't you think Dreyar?" Lyon said, his voice already dripping with cockiness. "People change in that amount of time."

Laxus was about to snap back a response, but those words got him thinking.

 _Seven years is a fucking long time._

"I don't care…" Was all Laxus could say. Deep down, however, he cared. He cared far too much.

"Yes, you do, you're trying to hold onto the idea that Freed was that loyal housewife waiting for your return. Just wait until Freed pushes you away. He's not leaving this city with you, he leaving with his family and his guild. Which happens to be me and Lamia Scale." Lyon said.

Laxus took a threatening step forward. The air around them suddenly dropped a few degrees and was filled with electricity.

"I will do whatever it takes to get him back. I'm Freed's family, no one else." Laxus was practically vibrating with anger and jealousy.

 _Freed is not yours to take!_

Laxus was angry. How dare some stranger go up to him and think that he can take away his Freed?

 _Wait, my Freed? What did that even mean?_ The things that he was feeling should not be felt for just a mere friend. Laxus felt like he was falling down some hole. It was confusing and near impossible to figure out his emotions for the Rune Mage.

There was one emotion that he was sure would sum up everything that he was feeling at that moment, but he was too scared to voice it.

Lyon narrowed his eyes to angry slits. If what he was seeing was right, then he knew that he and Laxus were going to fight, and it wasn't going to be for the title of the strongest guild in Fiore. It was for _someone_ far more important.

"I'd like to see you try…" Lyon growled.

At the sound of those words Laxus straightened up to his full height. His hands were balled up into fists and he was ready for a fight.

Then the wind began to blow against him. With it came a clear and distinctive scent.

Laxus ripped his eyes away from Lyon to follow the scent with his eyes.

When he was able to find the source of it his heart stopped.

 _Finally!_

Freed was standing a few yards away from him. Their eyes met and everything froze into place.

"At the end of the day, you or I are not the ones who get to decide for Freed. He's the one who will choose who he wants to leave this city with, and I'm not worried who he will choose." Laxus said softly, his voice distant and almost whimsically absent.

He pushed past Lyon who was staring at him with his mouth wide open.

Freed took note of what Laxus was doing and took a shaky step back. His eyes widened with so many emotions that Laxus couldn't figure out what they were.

The blonde was half way to Freed's side when he was suddenly stopped.

"Oh no you don't Sparky! We still have a game to win. Talk to your Princess later." Gajeel snapped.

He held out a muscular arm as a sort of barrier for the lighting dragon.

Laxus was going to just punch him in the face so he could make it to Freed's side, but it was too late. They were announcing who won first place.

All the guilds took their spot with their respective teams and were ready to welcome their competitors.

It took everything Laxus had to not scream out to Freed as he watched him walk away.

"Laxus, he's okay." Mira said as she walked up to the two struggling dragon slayers.

Her words did nothing to sooth his desperation, but knowing that his Captain was alright was enough to make him stop fighting.

"Get the hell off me metal mouth!" Laxus ordered.

Pushing the red eye man aside he stomped towards Juvia and Jellal, Mira close behind, who was followed by an angry Gajeel.

As they were walking, the announcer began to speak.

"Alright, we've just got one more team left to introduce!"

The moment the announcer said that the entire crowd went crazy. Everyone was cheering and chanting to Laxus' annoyance.

"That's right, you know who it is! They're the strongest, invincible, indisputable champions! _SABERTOOTH!_ "

Out of the dark hallways came out the most powerful guild in all of the land. Sabertooth.

The twin dragon slayers were leading the group. Slightly behind them was a beautiful young girl with very light blue hair. Then there was a large lumbering man who could rival Laxus himself.

Immediately Laxus could sense that their magical ability was very similar.

 _Was it another Lightning Dragon Slayer?_

Behind the man with the dull green hair was another male who was far shorter and very similar to how Freed used to look. His long blonde hair kept neat by a large red hat and a mask that covered his eyes giving him a false sense of mystery.

Laxus and Gajeel were not impressed.

Both men just rolled their eyes ready to kick every single one of their asses.

Next to Laxus, Gajeel visibly stiffened. "Who the hell are you starin' at?" He demanded.

The mage who he was trying to intimidate was a boy with rave black hair and striking red eyes.

All he said in return was, "Gajeel…"

Laxus found that strange and just kept to himself.

Sabertooth stood out amongst the rest of the guilds. They stared down at all their opponents trying to use intimidation as an advantage.

Juvia appeared at Mira's side to say, "So that is the strongest guild? The one we must defeat?"

Laxus heard and turned to look at the two women.

After sparing them a glace he looked behind him to try and catch another glance of Freed.

* * *

Freed's heart was still racing from his earlier reunion with Mira. After she had digested what he had said all she did was smile warmly up at him and left with a soft kiss on his cheek. When he was alone, he was left to figure out what had just happened.

The way that Mira had treated him was not at all what he had expected. He expected accusations of betrayal and cowardice, but all she did was greet him with open arms and a reassuring smile.

Yet, that didn't stop the heart wrenching fear he had when he saw Lyon and Laxus together.

He could see the tension between both men. It was not hard to see their clear dislike for one another, but that wasn't what unsettled Freed the most. It was the fact that the moment Laxus looked up their eyes locked for a brief but wonderful second.

In the back of his mind Freed wanted to rush up to Laxus, welcome him back to the land of the living and hold him and not let go.

But old habits die hard. The moment that Laxus pushed past Lyon and began to walk towards Freed, he knew it was too soon for him to have this encounter.

Freed wasn't ready to face Laxus. He needed some time to process everything. Coming to terms with his guilt was something that he needed to do in order to move forward.

His meeting with Mira gave him hope that he might still be able to reconcile with the people most important to him. So he was both annoyed and relived with Gajeel appearing to stop Laxus.

That intervention gave him enough time to search for Jura and the others.

When his guild was found he stood alongside Yuka. His head was swimming from all he had gone through that morning, but in a way it was nice.

He no longer had that dark cloud over his head when it came to Fairy Tail. There was now a sort of light and excitement that took its place.

Freed couldn't stop staring up at Fairy Tail members in the stands and then back to the teams themselves.

The feeling within his heart was so pure that he was sure to be showing it somehow.

Then suddenly he heard his name being called out.

"Freed! Freed over here!"

The voices were so familiar that he didn't even have to turn his head to know who they were.

Even when Freed was in a different guild Evergreen and Bickslow were cheering for him.

Slowly, he turned to face them and for the first time in a really long time, he smiled as wide as his lips would let them.

 _They haven't changed in the slightest._

Sadly, there were no other words exchanged before Sabertooth was announced.

Reluctantly he heard the cheers of the crowd and the announcer speak.

"And now, all of the teams are here, but what are your impressions, Yajima-san?"

The only man in question just let his shoulders fall. "I envy their youth."

The announcer was a bit uncomfortable with the response, but recovered quickly. "That's not what I meant…"

Turning away he went back to his commentary. "Okay, everyone, you've waited long enough. I'm going to announce the program of the Grand Magic Games!"

Yuka hadn't been blind to the little show his friend put on. As a matter of fact, he was beyond ecstatic. He had never seen Freed smile like that and with that smile came a light that Yuka never thought he'd see from the older man.

Pushing away the thought, he looked at his team and saw the way Lyon was pouting behind Jura. Chelia only waited with baited breath to see what event was going to be declared.

Luckily she didn't have to wait much longer because a few moments later something erupted from the arena floor.

Dust flew everywhere making Freed and the others shield their eyes.

When it settled they looked up at the giant pillar of earth to see what the schedule for the Games would be.

Freed crossed his arms over his chest scrutinizing the pillar. "So there is going to be a competition and battle every day?"

Lyon walked behind his guild to reach Freed's side. "Seems that nothing has changed from last year." He said tightly.

Something was off in his voice. It didn't take Freed long to figure out that something was wrong.

"Lyon are you alright?" He asked quietly.

His friend didn't say a word and just moved closer Freed.

Then Freed was hit with the sudden revelation. Lyon had just spoken to Laxus, that must be what had him upset.

The Rune Mage knew that it wasn't the time or the place to address something like that, so all he did was accept Lyon's strange behavior.

"Starting with the competition, points have already been divided among the teams, according to their ranking on the elimination round, from first to eighth. Now for the competition part, each team can select one of their members to take part. And for the battle part, the results of fan votes will be taken into consideration when the sponsors make the pairings."

Freed rolled his eyes and the announcer.

"This is why I hate these Games." He voiced.

Chelia giggled beside him. Yuka just shook his head. Lyon cracked a smile.

Seeing that put Freed at ease for the time being. Lyon was alright, he didn't need to worry too much.

Out of habit he rested a hand on the ice mage's arm.

"The rules for the battle part are simple," the announcer continued, "As you can see, the teams face off against each other, with the winning team receiving ten points and the losing team getting zero points. In the case of tie, both teams will receive five points. And now, the Grand Magic Games' opening game! Let's begin 'Hidden'!"

At the name of the game the pillar cleared itself. In a show of bright magenta light _Hidden_ was soon engraved into the stone.

"Sounds interesting…" Jura examined.

"One person from each team will compete. I'll explain the rules of the game after all of the players are on the field." The announcer declared.

Before Freed could voice his wanting to compete, Chelia was already thinking of a strategy.

"Being small may be the advantage here, so it should be either me or Yuka." She said with a smile.

Yuka of course took offense to that. "Don't call me small!"

Freed smiled down at his two friends until Lyon pulled away from him.

"No." He said clearly. "I'm going to make sure we have the lead from the start. I'll do it."

Everyone stared at him in shock, but didn't question his motives.

Freed was about to say something again to only be interrupted. He was starting to get annoyed with that.

"Huh, in that case, I guess I'll compete too." Gray said with a smirk. He turned to face Lamia Scale to stare down Lyon. "You can show me what this tournament is like."

As if him entering the competition was a sign, Juvia excitably said, "If Gray-sama is going to be in it, them so is Juvia!" One could practically see the hearts in her eyes.

Gajeel using his brain for once said, "Hey! If you lose on purpose there'll be hell to pay!"

Freed chuckled softly at the display.

"All of the participating players from the eight teams are set!"

With that said all the other guild members began to leave the arena.

Chelia wished Lyon luck with a large hug. Freed feeling like it was his place to do so said, "Be careful Lyon."

The man in question smiled softly at Freed. "Before it starts can I have a kiss for good luck?" His voice was lace with amusement, but you can tell there was some sort of seriousness to it as well.

Freed only rolled his eyes. "Cheeky…"

Lyon chuckled as he watched the green haired man walk away.

The announcer cleared his throat to further explain the game.

"And now for the rules of the opening game, 'Hidden'!"

* * *

 _ **Don't forget to leave me your thoughts down on in the review box below!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**First of all I want to give out a quick apology if this chapter just sucks! It was very hard to write and I feel like I could have done it better, but sadly I just wasn't able too. I feel like Laxus was out of character and the build up between Laxus and Freed was just shit! If you want to just not read this chapter I don't blame you. Sorry again! I honestly feel like this story is going down the drain.**_

* * *

The first game was about to begin. Freed and his team were already in their respective booth ready to cheer on Lyon.

At the thought of the ice mage Freed couldn't help but feel a little worried. He knew how strong Rufus from Sabretooth was, he knew just how strong Gray and Juvia were. Did Lyon really stand a chance? Did any of the guilds stand a chance against Fairy Tail and Sabertooth?

Freed was worried and for good reason too. The Games were a place that anything could happen, you could lose your life in the middle of a battle and no one would bat an eye. The entire show was something close to having all the competitors like gladiators. Freed was against it of course, but his guild pride made sure that if he were to go against his guild mistress' wishes, he would be more than just a little guilty.

"I'm sure that Lyon is going to kick butt!" Chelia cheered, her face adorned with a large smile that could have made flowers themselves grow.

The Rune mage felt his heart warm at the sight of her.

Yuka moved up to join the duo. "He better not mess this up, or the old hag is going to have a field day with him." He warned.

Freed rolled his eyes, having faith in Lyon and his magic.

"Alright then!" The announcer yelled, "it's now time for the Grand Magic Games' opening game, Hidden, to begin!"

The Lamia Scale team gave their undivided attention to what would be said about the game.

Freed took a one step forward to make sure that he had a good view of the arena.

After taking the time to voice who was competing, Freed knew that it was going to be a hard game to win.

But when the announcer called out who would be competing for Raven Tail, his blood boiled.

Nulpudding was smirking with pride. His guild up in their booth looking like they had already won the entire game.

Then he could feel it. There were eyes on him.

A shiver ran down his spine when he met Blacksnake's eyes.

They stayed like that for a moment, glaring at one another trying to gauge each other's strength of magic. He knew that he would have to face that man sometime during the Games. So to end their staring contest short, Freed let a growl form at the back of his throat and looked back down at Lyon who was waiting for his name to be called.

At that moment, Freed vowed to take revenge for Miss Wendy.

 _When this game is over, I'll go visit the girl._

More names were called out until, finally, Lyon's name was declared for the crowd.

"From Lamia Scale, Lyon Vastia!" The crowd cheered loudly, but they couldn't compare to the guild itself in the stands, cheering and chanting his name. They were rooting him on and wishing him only the sweetest of victories.

Freed felt a smile tug at his lip.

Like a good friend he said, "Now you win this for the guild!"

Chelia and Yuka mirrored Freed's attitude and began cheering themselves.

When Freed heard Gray and Juvia be called he couldn't help but let the smile widen.

 _Good luck, both of you!_

He had to fight back the urge to cheer both of them on with all his might. But it was alright, Fairy Tail was doing a good job of that from the stands.

"All eight teams have chosen their competitors!" The announcer went back to saying, "now for the rules of the opening game, Hidden…!"

Jura stood at attention close to the railing of the booth. He gave every contender a look over. Trying to foretell the outcome of the game.

A familiar pumpkin head man began to walk up to the mages competing.

Freed never liked that strange pumpkin, nevertheless, he made sure that he paid close attention to whatever the pumpkin had to say.

"That Raven Tail member is giving me a bad feeling." Yuka said.

Taking a moment to take his eyes off Lyon, Freed looked down at the smaller man in understanding.

"It would be a good idea to make sure that we keep an eye on all of them." Freed advised.

Yuka nodded in understanding letting Chelia push past him and tug at Freed's sleeve.

"Freed, you said that they were a dark guild. What did you mean?" She asked softly.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts Freed moved to place a reassuring hand on Chelia's shoulder.

"The last time that I heard of them they were a dark guild. It just seems that they were able to manipulate the system to their favor. That means nothing however, because we are going to win." He said with certainty.

Chelia smiled once again, eyes filled with excitement.

A moment after Freed had spoken, the pumpkin declared the field open.

A city began to materialize from the ground up blocking any view of the competitors.

Like in past years, the Games were always decorated to perfection.

Freed moved away from the God Slayer to admire the magic behind the set up.

"They seem to never waste on extravagance." He said.

His teammates agreed with nods of their heads.

The game itself was something that had Freed on edge.

Being told that there were going to be look-alikes was enough to make his head spin. The thought of so many Lyons in one place was a rather strange thought to digest.

* * *

Laxus rolled his neck to try and rid himself of all the stress he was feeling.

Having Raven Tale in the Games was not something that he was prepared for. The thought was so unsettling that he didn't even want to give the team a glance. He was going to ignore them and focus on more important things.

"If they are going to be surrounded by copies of other players, then Juvia is screwed." Laxus stated with certainty.

Mira gave him confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Just watch…" Was all he offered.

Gajeel understood what he was referring to rather quickly. It seemed being the man that knew the water mage the best was an advantage.

As soon as the game started, Laxus and the others could see how being surrounded by so many Grays was affecting Juvia.

Mira didn't even try to hide her slight grimace. "Now I see what you are saying, Laxus."

When those words were spoken a large screen appeared in the air showing their teammate throwing herself at one of the many Gray copies.

She was reduced a point.

Mira laughed softly. Laxus looked stunned up at the screen. Gajeel clearly voiced his annoyance.

"That idiot…" He growled.

Feeling bad for her friend, Mira tried to ease the man with a bit of humor. "Juvia might be at a disadvantage here!" She said resting her cheek on her hand.

Laxus lowered his head and said, "I would've entered if I'd known it'd be like this…"

Jellal stood by their side, silent.

For a moment that was all Fairy Tail Team B did. They stood in their respected booth and watched all the mages run around the town looking for one another.

Laxus looked away from Juvia's screen to watch Gray run down an alley. Behind him the mage of Raven Tale appeared.

"Shit, Raven Tale found him!" He said.

Moments later Gray was attacking. Only to be deceived, and loose a point to Nulpudding.

Sadly, that was only the start of the attacks. Poor Gray kept getting hit by Nulpudding, the dark mage going after no one else.

Gajeel took a threatening step forward with his fist in the air. "What the hell is going on?! The piece of rock is just going after Gray!"

Laxus could only stand and watch as his father's dog went after his guild mate.

As they continued to watch Gray struggle, the Ice Mage came face to face with his old peer.

Lyon was staring at Gray with raised brows, a smug smile on his lips.

Gajeel was about to give up right then and there. "You got to be kidding me! Give us a break!" He snarled up at the screens.

Laxus kept his eyes on Lyon. His rage began to simmer under his skin.

"Gray better kick his ass…" Laxus growled menacingly.

Mira was stunned at the tone of her teammates voice. For a short moment she was confused as to why he would be so hostile towards the man. Then it hit her.

It must have been because of Freed.

She thought back to her encounter with the Rune Mage. Maybe if she told Laxus about it then it would calm him down enough that he wouldn't want to run after the ice mage.

"I talked to Freed before this all started." She said in a delicate voice turning to face the Lightning Dragon.

That was enough to stun all three men into silence.

Laxus was the first to react. "You did? What did he say? Is he alright? When will he come back?" His questions came out with a burst of air leaving his lungs empty. He looked down at the bar maid with an almost crazed look in his eyes. His mind was screaming at him to just leave his team where they were and rush to Freed's side. Something in him that was a pure animalistic need was begging him to just grab Freed and press the man against him.

Mira took a step back to look over her shoulder. Sadly, she couldn't see Freed through the city that was in the center of the arena.

"He's alright. He's changed a lot in the last seven years, though. I almost couldn't recognize him." She said.

Gajeel looked between Laxus and Mira. "Are you really dead set on getting him back?"

Laxus was brought back to the real world by that simple question. Without a shadow of uncertainty, he said with a firm strong voice, "I will do whatever it takes to get Freed back. He isn't meant to be with anyone else but us."

For Gajeel it was hard not to hear the underlining _me_ in that statement. Just to satisfy his curiosity, Gajeel pushed the subject further. "Why does it matter so much? What is he to you?"

Mira gasped at the weight of the question. She stared at Laxus intently for his reaction.

Laxus looked taken back, his eyes were wide and his body turning stiff.

"Gajeel, that's none of your business." Laxus snapped back after he was able to regain his composure.

 _Why can't you answer him? What the hell are you trying to prove here?_ His mind was screaming.

The Iron Dragon took Laxus' tone as an invitation to start a fight or an argument. Just like in the past with Gray and Natsu, Gajeel stood to his full high, he fists magically encasing themselves in iron. "I want to know if you're going to be a liability just like Juvia is with her obsession with Ice Princess over there." He growled, "And if you are, we can just go ahead and replace the pair of ya'!"

With those words said Laxus was taken back.

From the urge to protect his pride, he took a readying step forward. "Freed is my friend…" He said.

 _No, he's not! He hasn't been your friend for a long time._ His subconscious added.

Suddenly the entire space that he was in was becoming smaller. The air in Laxus' lungs not enough to keep little black dots from appearing in his line of sight, he felt the world start to tilt on its axis.

Mavis, he felt like he was going to be sick.

He turned on his heel away from his teammates, desperately searching for a way to get out of there. Then he caught site of the small door heading out to the coliseum's many halls. He took large hurried steps, throwing it open when he had his hands around the handle.

 _Figure out what Freed is to you. Then all this can be for something more than "he's my friend."_

Behind him he could hear someone calling out his name. He didn't give a shit, he just needed to get out of there and _see_ Freed.

* * *

The moment Rufus let loose, Freed knew that 'Hidden' was over and won.

However, that didn't prepare him from Lyon's screams. Something painful clenched in his chest. In his mind, he promised to make sure that Lamia Scale would get even with Sabertooth for that.

Then, out of nowhere came solid evidence that Raven Tail was out for the Fairies.

"He ignored a defenseless opponent to get to Gray alone!" He had said. In that time no one in his team had said a word, too shocked at his outburst to actually say anything. The last few remaining moments of the game were easily predicted. Lamia Scale came in third and both Fairy Tail Teams in last.

When the games were over Freed took a step back from the railing.

 _The game is over, now it's time to go visit Wendy._ He told himself.

Freed pushed past his fellow mages towards the small door at the end of room.

Jura looked at the man confused at his actions. "May we ask where you are going?" He said quietly.

With no hesitation, Freed turned around to face his friend. "After these games I would very much like to visit an old friend of mine. Sadly, she is not in the best condition and I'm hoping to see what I can do." He said with a smile on his face. A smile so rare that it had Yuka looking taken back.

Chelia kept to herself. Her over active imagination running wild, all her thoughts going back to one theory.

 _He's not going to stay with us much longer._

Seeing that there were going to be no more questions directed at him, Freed went on his way.

There was something off with the way he was feeling though. A feeling of barely there excitement was bubbling away in his chest. It had been a long time since he felt that. Every time that he had thought back to his old guild there was always dark emotions fogging his memories of the past. However, ever since he had talked to Mira those emotions had disappeared. Not completely, but they were gone for the most part.

Right now all he really wanted to do was make sure that Wendy was alright. Who knew what Raven Tail had done to her.

He was lucky enough to not have to face a large amount of people. Seeing as there was still going to be the battle portion that was going to be held very shortly. Freed had a feeling that the fight itself was not going to be anything extravagant.

Like other years, he was certain that it would be the weaker mages pinned against one another.

 _Oh, how wrong he was…_

It didn't take him long to find the medical rooms in the arena. He walked passed a few open doors sporting empty rooms. At the very end of the stone hallway Freed found only one shut door. He took a deep breath hoping that Wendy had not been seriously hurt. Just thinking that she had to go through any sort of pain made Freed want to tear whoever was the cause of it apart.

He reached for the door, slowly pushing it open. The sound of the creaking hinges was the only indication he was forced to give.

"Mr. Natsu?" A soft voice asked.

Freed smiled at the sound. Wendy and the Salamander did have a very close sibling bond.

He walked the rest of the way inside of the room with a soft smile on his face. There was gasp heard throughout the room that didn't fail to leave him a bit uneasy.

"Mr. Freed! You're back!" Wendy smiled up at the man.

The sight of the girl put any misconceptions Freed may have had about the check up behind. She reminded the Rune Mage so much of Chelia, they would be the best of friends if given the chance.

He moved forward towards the side of the bed where Charla slept and Wendy was sat up.

"It's good to see you Miss Wendy, after so many years." He said with a rare smile on his face.

Those words had Wendy staring at Freed with wide slightly frightful eyes.

"It still feels weird when people say that. Cause it really does feel like just yesterday that I was on that ship to the island." She whispered solemnly.

At the tone of the younger girl's voice Freed moved to sit down on a vacant chair.

"Now, there is no need to dwell on the past. All that matters is that you and the others are back." He said reaching out to take her small hand in his as an act of reassurance.

 _If only Freed would take his own advice._

Wendy looked up at Freed for a moment. It was like she was seeing him for the first time. She was taken back by how much the man had changed. His hair was no longer long strands of emerald, but short and soft looking. His face had aged well through the seven years, but it was clear that he had suffered. Wendy's heart ached for him. She and the others had missed so much in the last seven years. It had been like waking up in a new world.

"Mr. Freed, you've changed a lot…" She whispered.

Freed laughed softly at her observation. It seemed that anyone that he was going to meet from Fairy Tail was bound to say the same thing.

"I have change a lot these past few years."

* * *

The moment that Laxus was out of ear shot of his teammates he let out a frustrated growl.

What the hell was he going to do if he were to have to fight against Freed? Would he throw the game away for him? Shit! He would! He'd do it if it meant that they would finally have a chance to talk to one another.

He was going to have to come to terms with his feelings quickly if he wanted to make any sort of progress.

However, he couldn't do that without seeing Freed first. He needed that reassurance that the racing of his heart was caused by Freed himself, and not some fear of rejection. When given the chance to talk to the Rune Mage, Laxus would know what to feel. He would know how to act.

Until that moment came however, he would have to be left with his confused heart wandering through the halls of the coliseum.

With his head bowed he let a frown formed on his face. There was something off with the Games. After what Jellal had said about all the strange magic that went on during the time of the Games it put Laxus and the rest of Fairy Tail on edge. With Raven Tail in the mix it was not helping at all. Having to be so close to his father was making Laxus' skin crawl. He didn't even want to be anywhere near that man, but now he was forced to share an arena with him.

All Laxus truly cared for was that Freed stayed safe and away from Raven Tail.

 _Is there ever a time where you don't think about him?_ He asked himself.

That thought made him smile the slightest bit. Even before the whole seven-year disappearance, Laxus was always thinking about Freed and his teammates. He had always wanted to make sure that they were safe and out of harm's way. As Laxus' thoughts delved deeper into that part of his mind he couldn't help but take note that long before the entire battle of Fairy Tail, he had always been protective of Freed. More so than the others.

Had he always possessed these feelings for Freed? Had he really been that blind to his emotions?

That would explain a lot of things if it happened to be true.

Laxus shook his head of the idea, not wanting to go down the dark path it led.

Then suddenly he heard footsteps coming towards him. He really hoped that it was some Royal Knight doing his rounds and not some crazed fan that would beg him for his signature.

The closer the footsteps got, the more Laxus wanted to turn around and go back the way he came. But he wasn't ready to go back to his team just yet.

When the person turned the corner everything around him stopped. His breathing came to a halt and for a split second there was nothing else in the world other than the very person who was walking up the hall. There was no one to stop him from taking a step forward or threaten him for trying to have some form of contact.

The second he whispered out the man in question's name, he knew that their meeting was going to set off a chain of reactions.

"Freed?" He whispered almost reverently.

In that moment Laxus knew that it wasn't some fear that had his heart racing. It was the fact that Freed was with another that wasn't him. His heart ached because Freed wasn't by his side like he should be. Those were not emotions that one held for a friend, or even a brother. Those were the sentiments that one would feel when faced with the person they held dearest.

For Laxus, it was Freed.

The Rune Mage was stunned into silence. The sound of his name being said by such a familiar and missed voice scent his head into a whirlwind of emotions. On one hand he was desperate to lunge at the Dragon Slayer. Wrap his arms around his neck and just feel him press against him. Freed wanted to know desperately that Laxus was real, not just some figment of his imagination.

However, he wasn't ready.

He wasn't prepared for what Laxus would trigger. All those painful nights that he had to face by himself because the thought of not having Laxus anymore were coming back to haunt him. He swore he could still feel the burn of his pain runes on his skin from all those years ago.

"You've changed so much, Freed." Laxus spoke again.

The sound of his voice was what snapped Freed out of his dark ravine.

Laxus took a large step forward with his hand out stretched. The same desperation that his Captain was feeling was coursing through his own veins. He just needed to touch the other man to make sure that he was actually there.

He could feel the feeling of belonging in him start to grow in his chest again. That was the feeling that Laxus was searching for.

But there was something wrong with the entire thing. Freed wasn't reacting the way he hoped. There was no tearful reunion, no embracing. All Laxus could see was the fear in Freed's eyes, as if he was looking at some sort of demon.

"Freed, it's me!" He said desperately. This wasn't the man he knew from seven years ago. There was no light in his dark blue eyes, eyes that used to show his emotions so well. There no light of loyalty and affection. He wasn't looking at Freed from Fairy Tail. He was looking at Freed from Lamia Scale.

And he was a totally different man.

 _Lyon was right, seven years is a long time. I don't even recognize him._ He said to himself.

Then finally, Freed spoke.

"I wasn't ready…" He whimpered, "I wasn't ready to face you and the others." His eyes were wide.

Laxus could see the way his knees were trembling, a clear sign that he was ready to collapse. Laxus took another step forward, but Freed just took one back.

"Freed, listen!" Laxus ordered, his voice far sterner than he wanted it. "Come back to me!"

With those words it seemed to set something off within Freed's mind. For a moment it seemed that he was clearly thinking over Laxus' proposal. The sway of his body towards Laxus was irrefutable. There was something purely animalistic in the way both men craved for one another.

Then Freed snapped out of it. His eyes lost any and all emotion. He body stiffened leaving the air to fill with tension.

All Freed said was, "I can't, and I won't. I won't put myself through that again." He swore.

Laxus was taken back by the cold tone he received. It was strange how the pain he felt at that moment was the greatest he had ever felt. Nothing could ever compare to his heart feeling as if it was on the edge of shattering.

 _Freed don't say that! Don't tell me that you chose him over me!_ Him being Lyon.

That Ice Mage was always in the way. He was the reason why this was even happening in the first place. He was going to have to do something about that.

Before there could be any other words said, a loud crashing sound was heard.

Laxus turned around to see what was the cause of it only to see Natsu run full speed past them. Something was terribly wrong if it had Natsu in such a hurry. Laxus shook his head from all the confusion running after the fellow dragon slayer for a few feet. Still wanting to stay close to Freed.

"What the hell's gotten into you, Salamander?!" He called out.

Natsu turned back stunned to hear Laxus' voice, but that shocked expression only lasted for a moment.

"That flame chick from Raven Tail was put up against Lucy! She's using one of our friends as bait to win!" He called out before he turned a corner to reach the stands of the colosseum.

Laxus couldn't quite believe his ears. Everything was happening just a bit too sudden for his liking.

To try and find some sort of solace he turned to face Freed again, only to find that he had vanished.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Guess who's back! Back again! It's me! Hello everyone, HOW YOU ALL DOING! Today is my first official day of summer vacation, so that means more chapters and faster uploads! Also I want to say a huge thank you to the people who had reviewed the last chapter. It means a lot to know that there are people reading my work and are finding enjoyment in it. Even when I thought that it was a horrible chapter there were still people telling me the kindest words. You guys are the reason why I gained back my inspiration, so please have this new chapter as a thank you gift. To be honest, I really liked how this one came out, and now with the story reaching it's first climax I am getting all the more excited!**_

* * *

The bright runes over Freed's chest felt like they were burning him. His entire body trembling from the effort of keeping the spell in place.

Because of his runes he had been able to disappear from Laxus' sight. Laxus wouldn't be able to hear, see, or smell him, making Freed invisible to the larger man.

At the sight of his broken face, Freed did all he could to hold back the soul-wrenching sob that was threatening to escape him. Laxus looked so lost; so _broken_.

Desperately, Laxus took a shaking step forward, unknowingly making the space between him and his beloved that much smaller. He looked right through Freed in hopes of finding that man that was right in front of him. Something in his eyes seemed to shatter making the entire scene that much harder to go through without revealing himself or running away.

"I'm not going to let you go, Freed." He whispered to himself.

Freed's breath caught in his throat, his eyes instantly burning with tears. He dug his finger nails into the rough skin of his palm to try and draw his attention to something else beside the sharp ache in his heart. He shook his head in agony trying to silently step aside from Laxus. His back hit the wall hard making the little air in his lungs vanish.

For a few agonizing moments Laxus just stood in the middle of the hallway with nothing but a numbness in his bones. He was hurt and confused. What had he done to deserve Freed's reaction? Was it something that had happen before the seven years? Was he still angry over the Fantasia Parade? He wouldn't blame the Rune Mage. What he did back then then was the most horrific thing that he could have done to his family. Yet, Laxus still was set on bringing back Freed. If not for his sake, then for Ever and Bickslow. He wanted Freed back, even if it wasn't in the way he wants it to be.

The way that he had only just realized he wanted.

He just prayed to the Gods that he would be given the chance to speak to him again. It didn't matter in what setting.

Laxus just needed Freed.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered into the air around him. With those words said he began to walk away.

Freed was left alone with those two words ringing in his head dangerously loud. His body trembled so viciously that his legs threaten to buckle.

He looked at the space that Laxus had just been standing in. The sight of it made his heart jump in his chest and conflicting emotions collide in his mind.

"I won't go back. I won't go back. I won't go back. I won't go back." He repeated those four words to himself like a mantra. He had suffered enough because of Laxus. His heart had broken into a million pieces and it had been almost impossible to put back them together. Freed was just be able to heal after what had happened.

How _dare_ Laxus think that he could come back into Freed's life and just break him apart all over again?

Sadly, however, Freed knew that his true weakness _would_ be his heart. Laxus had taken control of it all over again without even realizing it.

Everything faded around the edges for Freed as his legs collapsed underneath him.

God, look at him. He was reduced to this just from seeing Laxus. Only Mavis knew what would happen to him if he were forced to confront him again. He couldn't do that. He didn't think that his heart would be able to handle it in the long run. There too many unsaid words between them both; too many emotions. The thought of dealing with them had the Rune Mage dreading another confrontation.

Well that wasn't entirely true, his body and heart craved to see the Lighting Dragon Slayer again. It was just that he wasn't ready yet. If he were given some time, then maybe everything would be able to calm down, he could sort through his thoughts and he would be able to see his old team again. He knew that he wouldn't be able to return to Fairy Tail, but that didn't mean that he was going to shut out the people who were most important to him. As long as he had the strength to keep his guilt at bay then he would give himself the chance to see them again. Welcome them all back home, even though he wouldn't be able to go home with them.

 _You always could, Lamia Scale would understand._ A soft voice told him.

The moment that the thought sprouted in his mind he knew that he was trending in dangerous waters. There was no way that he would afford to think that. If he did, then he would break yet another promise.

His knees began to register the impact against the hard stone floor; helping him clear his mind with the throbbing pain his legs were sending to his head.

Taking a deep breath, he was able to slowly get back on his feet. For a moment the world around him spun on its axis, but it only was for a few short seconds. When everything was as clear as it was going to get Freed began to walk back to his team.

It was strange how much it hurt to go in the opposite direction of the man he wished he could be with.

* * *

Lyon was giddy from the game; his body was humming with a rush of adrenaline only a good fight could give him. When he got back to his team there was a sort of dark cloud hanging over them all. It was strange to see the usually lively group so seldom.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

Yuka, Chelia, and Jura were looking out into the arena with eyes filled with rage, worry, and something else that just didn't seem right.

Jura was the first to speak and the tone of his voice made Lyon's hair stand on end.

"Raven Tail is doing their best to show their power…" He said.

Lyon was still lost, but the eerie silence of the crowd was clear sign that something was terribly wrong. He took a few steps forward to see a sight that made his stomach drop.

Lucy was being suspended by fiery red hair. Her long legs were spread apart just making the bright burns on her feet that much more noticeable. She was in clear pain, desperate for release. Yet, there was nothing anyone could do. This was her fight after all.

"She needs to find a way out of that…" Lyon said in a low voice.

He had expected for Freed to say something about the match, seeing as the young girl had been a guild member of his.

However, that's when he noticed the absence of the man he thought he could sense so well. He ripped his eyes from the match in front of him to look around the balcony. "Where's Freed?" He asked.

A strange sort of fear settled in his gut. Millions of thoughts ran through his head as to where Freed had gone. Then something in him snapped. He turned around slowly to look across the field.

Fairy Tail Team B were looking at Lucy with rapt attention. Every single mage was enraged at the fact that one of their most treasured teammates was going through hell.

Lyon saw the way that Juvia was ready to snap into action, the way Mira was glowing with a dark energy. All the while Gajeel was seething, eyes shining with a dark light. Mystogan was in a similar state, but one couldn't see his face behind the scarf that he wore.

Yet there was one person missing from the group.

Laxus was nowhere to be seen.

Freed must be with Laxus.

 _Three Years Ago…_

 _It was the day after the S-Class trials. The entire guild was partying in honor of their new S-Class wizard, loud music making the walls tremble from how hard the bass was coming off the lacrima amps._

 _Lyon pushed passed all the drunk dancing bodies, feeling his own intake of liquor in the way his entire body was warmer and looser._

 _His eyes scanned for the man of the hour only to see that he was nowhere in sight. Something told him that he shouldn't be surprised or that he shouldn't feel the all too familiar sharp pain in his heart that was just common when Lyon thought of the man._

 _However, Lyon knew just where the man he was looking for was. The only problem was that it would be a rather long walk to get there._

Anything to be by his side. _His tipsy mind added._

 _With those words floating around his head he began to walk towards the front doors of the guild, he opened them only wide enough so that his slim body would be able to fit through. There was no need to make a scene and have the rest of the guild question him. He didn't have time for that._

 _When he was outside the cold night air was a comfort to his naturally cold skin. The guild had been hot and humid from all the people surrounding each other in such close quarters. It was nice to be free of that for a while._

 _Lyon began to walk towards the city's park in hopes of finding the man he was desperate to see._

 _That was something that he hated about himself. He hated the fact that it only took three years to turn the man into something so important to Lyon. Every waking moment he thought of dark blue eyes and short emerald hair._

 _It took a while for Lyon to reach his destination, but when he did it wasn't really hard to reach the place he knew his friend would be._

 _The fountain in the center of the park had always been a favorite of Freed's. It would be the place where he would go when he was having a hard time, or just needed a quiet place to think things over. Lyon was lucky enough to have found him once. He'd stayed there with Freed on more than one occasion._

 _When Lyon was able to catch sight of the man he had been looking for, he felt his heart race._

" _Freed…" He whispered._

 _At first he had thought that Freed hadn't heard him at all and that he was going to have to speak up again, but when the Rune Mage turned his head back to look at the Ice Mage; Lyon knew that he had been heard. He always was._

" _You know the party is on the other side of town. As the man of the hour I would have thought you'd have known better." Lyon joked as he made his way to stand right neck to Freed. Their shoulders grazed each other and Lyon couldn't help but shiver._

 _Freed let the corner of his mouth turn up in amusement. However, there was something in his eyes that made the action seem forced._

 _Then it hit Lyon suddenly. Freed was alone for a reason._

" _They'd be very proud in how far their Captain's come." Lyon offered, the words leaving a nasty taste in his mouth._

 _Freed visibly stiffened at the words and Lyon saw the way his eyes glazed over in memories of the past. A past that Lyon wished Freed would have never gone through._

 _The Rune Mage took a deep breath before he was finally able to speak._

" _I know they would be. As a matter of fact, I know exactly how they would have reacted." Freed spoke with a pained fondness in his voice that just furthered showed the suffering that he was going through. The pain of years ago was coming back to haunt him. He could feel it in the way his eyes burned, the way his throat tightened up, and how his heart ached with a loneliness that would seep into his bones if he wasn't careful._

 _Lyon didn't know what to say to that, so he just stood there, taking in Freed's presence._

 _The entire scene was rather romantic in Lyon's eyes. There were fireflies lighting up the dark park in a pale white glow. The moon was full and the light it was able to reflect was enough to drape a blanket of soft silver light over everything. Water from the fountain redirected some of the light to caress Freed's sharp noble features. No sounds could be heard beside the water flowing from the fountain. It was so peaceful and Lyon didn't want to ruin the moment._

 _By the Gods, Freed had never looked so stunning._

 _Then the silence was broken._

" _When will it go away?" Freed spoke softly, his voice cracking at the end._

 _Lyon was caught off guard by the question not sure what Freed was asking of him._

 _When Freed saw that he wasn't going to get a response he tried to clarify. "The pain."_

 _At that Lyon's breath caught. He knew that he was going to have to choose his words very carefully if he wanted everything to go well. Yet, there was something in him that was breaking. Was he not enough for Freed?_

No you're not, cause you're not him. _A voice told him._

 _In the end, that's what it came down to. Lyon was never going to be Laxus. He was never going to be able to match up with a love and friendship that had the time to bloom for years. Lyon was never going to be able to take that spot in Freed's heart._

" _You can't get rid of the pain. You just learn how to live with it." Lyon finally said. "…But that doesn't mean that you have to deal with it alone."_

 _Lyon needed to make sure that Freed knew that he was not alone when it came to the loss of his team. He needed to reassure Freed about the fact that he had people that cared about him._

 _Freed smiled at that, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You know that's not how that works between us…" He almost said those words with pity. Maybe Freed knew what Lyon was thinking when it came to their relationship._

 _How pathetic would that be?_

 _From there they stood together in silence. Nothing uncomfortable, just a silence that showed their trust in one another._

 _Lyon didn't dare break the silence in hopes of trying to keep the moment alive as long as he could. It wasn't often that he was able to indulge in just being with Freed._

 _Then suddenly he felt a delicate touch graze against his knuckle. He bit back a gasp of shock and he didn't dare look at Freed. Moments later strong warm fingers intertwined with his. Then he felt a solid weight lean against him._

" _Can we stay here for a while?" Freed asked as he rested his head against Lyon shoulder._

 _For a second Lyon wanted to laugh at the question and say that he wished he could stay right there as long as it was with Freed. But he decided against it._

" _Just promise me that you won't leave." He whispered softly._

 _What did that question mean? Was Lyon referring to the guild? To himself? He didn't know just yet, the words just felt right falling from his lips._

 _Freed moved closer so that they were flushed against one another. "I promise…" He said against Lyon's shoulder._

 _Something in the Ice Mage fluttered at the sound of his Freed's voice. It was impossible to stop the soft smile that formed on his lips. Just as long as he had Freed by his side then he was going to be fine. He didn't need to worry about the past because Freed was with him right then and there._

I'll do whatever it takes to keep you by my side…

* * *

Lyon snapped back to the world around him when he heard he door behind him open.

Finally returning to his team, Freed made sure to let his head hang low. He couldn't risk them seeing him in the state that Laxus had left him in. It would raise questions that he was not in the mood to answer. He was too tired and wished the day would be over.

"Freed…" Lyon asked. His voice laced in a sort of desperation.

 _Please tell me that you weren't with him!_ His mind screamed.

Something in the way that Freed' shoulders were hunched over made the entire Lamia Scale team worry.

"Lyon, I can't do this right now. I'm not feeling well." Freed said brokenly. He made his way to take a seat closest to the back of the balcony. Then for a split moment Lyon was able to catch sight of his flushed cheeks, cheeks wet from tears.

The Ice mage took a step forward towards Freed. "You've been crying!" He said as a matter of fact. His heart began to race and he could feel the air around him start to drop several degrees. "It was because of him, wasn't it?" He said in something close to a growl.

 _How fucking dare he! He thought he would be able to walk back into Freed's life to just tear him apart all over again!_

Something snapped in Lyon. He was going to end this once and for all. He was going to find Laxus and make sure that he knew to stay away from Freed. There was not going to be any fighting for the Rune Mage because Freed was going to stay with him. Freed had promised him, after all.

He marched towards the door ready for a fight.

Then out of nowhere an arm shoots out blocking him from going any further.

Freed brought up his head in a sharp movement causing Lyon to take a step back.

"Vastia, this has nothing to do with you, and like I said months ago; this doesn't have anything to do with me." Freed said in a low menacing voice.

Lyon was stunned into silence. His dark eyes wide and filled with hurt. Then something in his mind snapped. He was _not_ going to have this happen. Laxus was the one to blame for the fact that Freed was falling apart. If the man had just stayed dead, then he wouldn't have to be going through any of this!

"He needs to be taught a lesson." He threatened, gaining a bravado. "Laxus needs to understand that he needs to leave you alone."

A deadly light flashed across Freed's eyes.

Lyon had never seen Freed in such a state. He had thought it impossible for Freed to ever lose control of his emotions and yet there he was; watching the most important man in his life look at him as if he was the scum of the earth.

"If you lay a single hand on Laxus, or anyone from Fairy Tail… I will not hesitate to put you back in your place. You will leave them _alone_." Freed snarled.

"Freed calm down!" Jura exclaimed. The man pushed away from the balcony to make his way to Freed. His large rough hand came down on Lyon's shoulder pulling him away from Freed. "This is not the time or the place to be arguing." He said. His voice was loud and booming causing Chelia to bite back a whimper of worry.

She couldn't take the look on Freed's face any longer. He looked so broken, so angry, and so, so sad.

Then the voice of the announcer broke the tension in the air.

"It seems that we have a winner! Flare from Raven Tail has won the match!" Something in the way he delivered those words made Freed's heart stop.

In desperation he pushed through Jura and Lyon.

"Lucy!" He called out. The moment he reached the edge of the stone railings guilt racked through is body. He stood there motionless as he saw Lucy crying on the ground. Her body was covered in burns, her legs in the worse state. How could he have forgotten what Natsu had said as he ran past both him and Laxus?

He couldn't take it anymore. There a pain in his chest that was growing. The guilt, regret, and anger were making the world around him fade to black.

Something told him that he was not going to survive these games.

* * *

 _ **Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! Tell me what you think! Share with me your thoughts!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hello, all I really have to say is that I am so sorry about the wait for this chapter. My health has been up and down for the last half a year. School is/was very stressful and very hard to handle. I had half of this chapter done for a while and it took a long time for my inspiration to come back to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please don't forget to leave a review telling me what you think. Also to keep updated make sure to follow and favorite.**_

* * *

Freed watched as both Lucy and Natsu made their way off the arena. The crowd was still stunned at what they had saw and therefore the cheers were a soft murmur compared to earlier. Freed could still feel the way his heart had dropped to his stomach at the sight of a broken Lucy.

However, he couldn't dwell on what had happened. She was going to be safe with her team. There was no need to worry for her safety, but that still didn't stop Freed from looking up across the pit to see Raven Tale glowing darkly with pride.

He promised himself that he was going to make sure he got them back when his time came.

"Lucy will be okay, right?" Chelia asked with trepidation laced in every word.

Yuka moved to her side and gave a lingering glance to Freed. The events of just a few moments before still fresh in his mind. Something was shifting inside of Freed. It was like he was fighting some sort of inner struggle. A struggle that sadly Lamia Scale was not going to be able to help in.

Yuka placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "She will be alright. With some rest, she will be back before the games are over." He said reassuringly.

With that the team was left to deal with the tension between both Lyon and Freed.

As the second and third battle of the day were fought, Lamia Scale made sure that they watched in silence. Only adding their commentary when needed or just to try and break the silence that fell over them.

Then finally it was the last battle of the day. Soon everyone was going to be able to return to their hotels and rest for the remainder of the day.

Already the thought of rest after such an eventful day lighten the team's mood. Even if it was just by a small amount.

When it was announced that Fairy Tail and Laima Scale were going to face off Freed tried to bite back the feeling of worry and dread. Mystogen was going against Jura. One of the of the ten wizards' saints. The man didn't have a chance against the strongest wizard in Lamia Scale.

Freed just hoped that Jura would take it easy on him.

The entire team walked Jura to the end of the long stone hall way. Where a bright light cast a shadow over Jura's large form covering his face of excitement and fondness for his team.

Chelia jumped up on her toes calling out as Jura began to walk towards the arena. "Good luck Jura!"

"He's pretty much won this match." Yuka said with pride and an air of arrogance. His crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at Freed with a smirk on his lips.

Freed tilted his head to the side, his lips for the first time in a long while turned up in a smile. His eyes were on Jura and one could see as he swallowed back words the he wanted to say.

Lyon didn't dare speak in fear that it would just ruin the moment so he opted in squinting his eyes against the bright natural light that came in through the colosseum's tunnel. "Now all we have to do is wait." He said to the group.

As they watched Jura's form disappear they all turned around and began heading back to their balcony; where they would watch the match together.

To their surprise, it was not what they were expecting.

"I'm still confused!" Cheila cried. She treaded alongside Yuka who was just patting her head in amusement.

"Does it matter?" Lyon asked. He turned his head to look at her with a victorious grin. "We won, that's all that matters."

Freed pushed past a few excited fans as he and the team made their way back to the hotel they were staying at. "Lyon's right. Let's not question what happened during that match. Regardless of how truly strange it was. Isn't that right Jura?" Freed asked. He looked at the larger man with a question stare.

He rolled his eyes when he saw that Jura was still in a confused haze as to what happened during the fight with him and Mystogen.

Lyon laughed softly catching up to Freed. "It seems that he is still trying to figure it out." He said cautiously. His voice soft so as not to push Freed away. Lyon let his eyes wander over the man's face in search of any sign of emotions. Freed held onto his mask tightly not letting a single clue slip out from his tight lips, cold eyes, and stiff shoulders.

He was thinking, contemplating something that Lyon was not ready to face.

"Freed I'm – " He started, then was suddenly cut off with just one look from Freed.

Onyx met dark emerald and for a moment Lyon couldn't breathe.

The look in Freed's eyes was heart breaking. It was clear that he was caring a weight that was sucking the life out of his lean body. Already you could see the shadows under his eyes, the way that his face was just a slate of no emotions, and how his eyes had no luster for anything dark or light. For a moment, Lyon prayed that Freed would have just been infuriated with him; outraged. Just anything that would show that he still felt something.

"Lyon, it's fine. I just want these games to be over so I can go home." Freed said defeated. He brought up a trembling hand up to his hair so that he could push his bangs to the side. That didn't help a single bit because seconds later they were back to brushing softly against the bridge of his nose.

Lyon let his eyes moved down, they fell on Freed's left hand for only a moment before he ripped his gaze away so he could look blindly in front of him. He couldn't help think though, _do you still miss that mark on your hand?_

That was how the pair stayed for the rest of the journey. They did not speak nor did they try and make any form of small talk. A tension fell over them that hadn't been there for years. It confused Lyon and angered Freed.

Freed was still rattled from what had happened earlier that day. Not only did he have to face Laxus again after seven years, but he felt the call to his old guild again when he had watch Lucy be beaten. Raven Tale was going to pay for hurting Wendy and Lucy, Freed would make sure of it. Regardless of what guild he was in, he still cared about Fairy Tail. Nothing was going to change the fact that he had gone through hell and back with them.

There was still a strange feeling that was curling around the back of Freed's neck. He couldn't shake it off, but he could feel it deep inside of him that something was going to happen.

"So, what did he say?" Evergreen demanded.

Laxus looked up from his mug of ale with tried eyes. "He just said that he wouldn't come back and put himself through something again, but I have no idea what the hell he was talking about!" Laxus said defeated. "I just wanted him to come back so this guild feels like home again. I didn't come back to have something missing from Fairy Tail."

Those last few words had Bickslow choke on his drink and Evergreen fight back tears.

"Does that mean that our baby isn't coming back?" Bicks coughed out. He lowered his drink and let his head fall in clear grief.

Evergreen took off her glasses and rubbed at her eyes trying to wipe away her tears before they could fall. "There must be something that we could do!" She tried to cheer up the men.

No one really believed her though. There was this sort of helplessness about the entire situation that made it near impossible to think of anything good.

"Freed's made his choice, he doesn't want to come back." Laxus muttered. The celebrations around him giving life to an ache in the back of his eye. In the corner of his mind he could hear Gajeel's voice… _What is he to you?_

Freed was everything to Laxus, it was just cruel fate that he had to realize that when Freed was already far away. He had lost his most prized treasure and he didn't even know until it was already gone. Laxus felt this sort of dull pain make a home in his heart, he thought for a moment that that pain was never going to go away.

"He must be trying to run away from you." Evergreen uttered softly. Her voice so low that Bickslow didn't even catch it. Laxus did though, he always could catch the smallest sound from his teammates.

Something in Laxus could sense the blame that Evergreen was trying to place on him. He could tell in the way that her eyes harden for a moment, her lips grew thin, and her delicate hands tightened their grip on her mug.

"What does that supposed to mean?" Laxus demanded. His voice a low growl, his eyes shining with betrayal. Out of all the people to turn on him, his team was the last people he would expect.

Evergreen turned her head so that her eyes could catch her leader's. "He's finally decided to give up on you…" She said.

Laxus was still confused. He didn't know how he had anything to do with Freed not wanting to come back to the guild. "What the fuck are you talking about." He said exasperated, his fist coming down on the table and making it shake under his power.

The Queen of Fairies did not cower under Laxus' intimidation tactic. She leaned back and took a deep breath. The lump in her throat making it almost impossible to speak, but she fought through it and said her next few words with as much power as she could.

"He loved you. He looked at you like you hung the stars in the sky. He would have done anything for you because he cared, but he knew one thing for sure." Her voice cracked for a moment before she started up again. "That you would never look at him the same way. That you would never feel the same way. So, this must have been his chance of finally forgetting about you and moving on."

Laxus was stunned. He had never known the Freed had felt that way. Laxus had always thought that Freed did what he did because they were best friends, that they had been together for years and had became an impenetrable force. Laxus never thought that it was more than friendship, now he was being told that for god knows how long that Freed had put himself in a position where he would have to deal with the unrequited feelings.

Feelings that just a few hours ago, Laxus had finally come to terms with. Laxus felt the same way and now it was his turn to feel the pain that Freed had gone through.

Bickslow, after collecting his scattered thoughts, finally spoke. "Maybe it's best for Freed to stay with Lamia Scale. What does he need us for?"

With those words said the Thunder Legion had given up on their mission to bring Freed back to the guild.

Natsu and his team had been watching the entire interaction. Their voice low as they tried to figure out what was going with the team.

"Do you think that they are talking about Freed?" Lucy asked quietly.

Erza shifted forward and bumped her shoulder against the blonde. "They must be, the only time they will ever show this much emotion is when it is in regards to one of their teammates." Erza said.

Gray rolled his eyes and reclined against his chair. "Does it really matter, Freed left us." He said that with a tone of disgust. As if he was talking about one of their many enemies, but his friends could tell that he was just as hurt as the rest of them. His pride the only thing hiding his hurt and confusion.

Natsu perked up for moment. His head coming up from his large plate of food. "There has to be a good reason why he left. I'm sure if we asked him to come back he will." He said this with far more cheer then what his team had expected. In Natsu's mind, there was still the picture of Freed's terrified face when he had run into both him and Laxus. The look had thrown him off for a moment, but he went back to what had mattered. Still, when he was back with the guild he couldn't push away the feeling in his gut that told him that something had happened that had made Freed leave. He had faith in the man and that him abandoning the guild was not a choice, but a need. A need that could had meant a great deal more than just the fact that Fairy Tail had lost its strongest.

Then an idea had stuck him. "You know what, we can't let Laxus and the others do it alone. Freed was our friend too and we all want him back." He exclaimed around a mouthful of food that he soon swallowed when done with his sudden outburst.

Natsu jumped up on his seat so that he could better look out into his guild. "Alright! We need to talk about the huge elephant in the room!" He screamed over the chaos of the tavern. All eyes were on him and half of them had expected him to give this empowering speech about how Fairy Tail was going to win.

"What are we going to do to get Freed back?"

That was not what they had been suspecting at all from the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Makarov took his last sip of beer for that moment and cleared his throat loudly. "The boy has a point. We are not going to sit back and watch as one of our own bears another guild mark!" The old man said with conviction in his voice. His eyes shining with determination

Laxus and his team sat at their table stunned to silence. They were all confused and rather unsettled at what they were hearing. Their loyalty and care for their Captain surpassing anything that the guild might had thought up in regards to try and get Freed back. Yes, the Thunder Legion and Laxus cared about Freed, but if the man was happy with Lamia Scale who were they to take that happiness away from him.

"They don't know what they're talking about." Laxus growled. The beer in his system clouding his mind with dark thoughts.

Evergreen's eyes soften at what she heard. The pity that Laxus could see in her eyes was making his stomach turn over.

She leaned forward, her voice light. "Maybe they're on to something?" She offered.

Bickslow stood up, his nerves erratic. "We need to get him back! The Thunder Legion is nothing without him!" His voice was loud. He ignored the stares that he got from Laxus and Evergreen. At this point he was not going to worry about Laxus' own self-pitying. He was going to worry about his guild and how Freed needed to come back or the least get Freed back to talking to them.

"Maybe if we have him come over after the games! Where we can have the chance to talk to him!" Mira chimed in. Seeing as she had been the only guild member to have had the chance to speak to Freed she had high hopes that they would be able to bring her fellow demon back.

From there on everyone was chatting away about how they could have Freed rejoin the guild. Even Evergreen was starting to have a change in heart. Her eyes grew glassy at the thought of finally having her Captain back.

Laxus had yet to come back from what Ever had told him. He still heard a soft voice at the back of his mind that told him that he really should give up on Freed. That he had his chance with the rune mage and he blew it. Then there was louder stronger voice that told Laxus that Freed didn't belong in Lamia Scale. He belongs in Fairy Tail right by Laxus' side. This voice was something close to primal. Making his magic shimmer underneath his skin.

Another feeling began to creep its way up his neck; a feeling that told him something big was going to happen. After what Jella had told the old man, Raven Tail coming back, and the First Master in a way coming back from the dead. Laxus was sure that something big was on its way. He only hoped that Freed was where he was supposed to be. With the people that loved him and missed him.

Then something erupted within him, the fire of determination raged once again in his soul. His guild mark almost burning from the intensity of his emotions.

Laxus slammed a closed fist on the table. Pushing himself up lifting his head up above the rowdy guild.

"It doesn't matter how we do it! Freed belongs with us!" Laxus declared.

His sudden outburst had the entire tavern falling silence. Even Natsu had slumped back into his seat staring wide eye up at Laxus. After a few more moments of silence passed over all the mages they began to look at one another and nod their heads in agreement.

Mira was smiling brightly at the Lightning mage. Her excitement making her jump up on the balls of her feet.

Makarov looked at his grandson with pride in his eyes. Still that did not take away from the feeling of dread that was forming in his heart.

It was only the first day of the Grand Magic Games after all.

* * *

 _ **Leave a review down below.**_


	10. Chapter 10

One: You must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live.

Two: You must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain.

Three: Though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends who loved you

Freed awoke to the sound of Chelia running through their small accommodations. Her light voice humming a cheery toon.

"Chelia, what in the world are you doing?" Freed scolded lightly. His head rising from his pillow. Green strands standing in all different directions.

A soft chuckle was heard from behind him, and a strong hand cradled through his messy hair.

"She's excited for today. Do you really blame her?" Lyon leaned down so that he could speak gently in to Freed's ear. He knew how much sudden loud noises startled Freed, so him and others always made sure to reframe from loud activity when around the still half asleep Rune Mage.

For a moment Freed thought that it was like any other morning for them. Jura and Yuka must have been sneaking about the lobby to try and bring up breakfast while him and the others prepared for the day. Freed gave himself the chance to lean against Lyon. His body shifting on the mattress so that he could rest against Lyon's standing figure.

Chelia gave them a side glace and giggled at the display. "It's the second day of the Grand Magic Games! Who knows what is going to be in store for us!" The little girl exclaimed. She gathered her things and rushed to the bathroom to freshen up for the day.

It took a few seconds for Freed's brain to process what Chelia had just said, but when he did memories of the day before came rushing to the forefronts of his mind.

He pushed off Lyon roughly, his lungs trying desperately to get enough oxygen.

 _They were back, all of Fairy Tail. Freed was there, he saw them, he talked to them._

There was a dip in the mattress behind him and then cool hands made their way around his waist. A pair of cold lips pressed against his shoulder trying their best to sooth him.

"Lyon, stop it…" Freed said breathless. His eyes burning with a force of a thousand suns. The guilt that he was feeling was almost too much to bear. "I can't do this right now." He spoke again. His words cracking a small amount. If anyone else would have been around they wouldn't have caught that moment of weakness, but Lyon did.

He felt the way that Freed's body began to cave in on itself. The way that his shoulders tensed almost painfully. Something in his magical energy began to shift. It became smaller, sadder, far more dangerous. Not dangerous to the people around him, but to the caster of said magic. Lyon wished he could take back what had happed the day before. He wished that he didn't react the way he did and push Freed away.

"Freed, I'm here for you." Lyon whispered against Freed's shoulder. With that he pulled away from the Rune Mage and respected his wishes.

Before Freed could say anything, there was a loud bang on the door. Making both men break apart. Lyon jumped up to his feet and rushed to cover Freed so that the man could put himself back together.

Jura came in with a triumphant smile on his face and arms carrying a plate filled with food.

Lyon was in the way so Jura couldn't see Freed quickly wipe at his damp eyes.

They ate breakfast like nothing had just happened.

And hour later they were back in the arena in the middle of the Royal City listening as the announcer began to speak to the cheering crowds and awaiting competitors.

"And now, what you've all been waiting for, the second day of the Grand Magic Games has begun!" The crowd went wild hearing as they were going to have a second day of amazing magic and nail biting fights. "Our guest on the second day is renowned reporter for the Weekly Sorcerer, Jason-san!"

Lamia Scale had to make sure that they kept their eyes in their heads when they heard the overly flamboyant man scream out cool.

"Does he not know any other words?" Freed asked.

That had earned a giggled from Chelia and Jura almost choking on his drink.

When the announcer began to speak of the tournament that was going to be played that day all the guilds went quiet to see what they were going to be given as a challenge. Yuka had already volunteered so his team only hoped for his victory.

"Okay, the competition part has already begun! And it is named… Chariot! The competition takes place on top of a line of vehicles, with the idea being to reach the goal without falling off! As the vehicles are always moving, just one moment of carelessness could lead to a misstep! The vehicles will whine their way around the sightseeing spots of Crocus, but which team will arrive here at Domus Flau? Everyone in the stadium, you can watch the race here on Lacrima Vision!"

Freed looked up at the sky to see all the mages participating.

His eyes fell on poor Natsu who was falling behind the rest of the group. His face clearly showing his discomfort.

"Now why would he decided to compete in a competition like this?" Freed asked out loud, the fondness in his words clear as day.

Jura chuckled slightly as he too watched the Fire mage struggle to keep his breakfast where it belongs. "Natsu is a very head strong young man. I'm sure he was tired of not being able to par take in the Game's activities."

"He hasn't changed in the slightest…" Freed wondered. His eyes moved from the Lacrima Vision to stare out into the arena. His eyes finding Fairy Tail in only seconds. He then realized that none of the returning Fairies had really changed. They all looked like they had seven years ago.

It made Freed feel like what he had gone through was almost a dream. As if he had walked into a different reality.

To keep himself from diving deeper into such deep thoughts he went to look back up at the game of Chariots that was unfolding before him.

Yuka was in third place so that was able to lighten Freed's mood a bit. His pride in Lamia Scale a sense of strength from his conflicting thoughts. That changed however when things went south for Yuka.

The girl from Mermaid Heel was able to counter his anti-magic wave. From there Ichia was also able to get through it. That only served to fuel Bacchus who then destroyed the vehicles.

Lyon threw his hands up in exasperation. "You have to joking me! That's can't be right!" He said.

Freed bit back the stream of curses that were sure to have fallen from his lips if he hadn't been in front of Chelia. "Sadly, there is nothing in the rule book that states that a mage cannot use his or her magic in a competition if not clearly stated that they can't." Freed said with clear annoyance directed at the Lacrima Vision."

Chelia watched as Bacchas won first place. "He's really strong for a drunk…" She said idly. Her elbows resting on the ledge of the balcony. Her hand propping up her chin.

"We must make sure that we keep an eye on him for the rest of the games." Jura ordered.

His team hummed their agreement and watched as Yuka came in forth.

Lyon moved back to sit down. "Why is four our number this year?" The ice mage pouted.

Freed threw a glance at Lyon and smiled at the man's childlike behavior. "I am sure that our time will come."

At this point in the game the only competitors that were left were Gajeel, Natsu, and Sting. As expected by all their close friends their motion sickness was making it very hard for the three men to move forward without having the threat of vomit and unconsciousness looming over them.

Freed moved forwards to get a better view of his two former comrades. Their resilience something to marvel at. "They are not going to give up, regardless of what it put before them." Freed said fondly. There was a weight that was forming over his shoulders, one that he hadn't felt in a very long time. It was frightening to say the least.

The Rune Mage remembered clearly the moment that that feeling had consumed him almost entirely.

He tried to distract himself by keeping his eyes trained on Natsu and Gajeel.

Their power and determination making old memories resurface.

He watched as Sting forfeit the game to the other two dragon slayers.

Gajeel smirked back at him and said, "Don't be crying about that one point later, kid." From there both Fairies pushed even further. The look of confusion was clear on Stings face.

"Would you answer me on thing? Why did you decided to participate in this tournament? I wouldn't believe you were the same Fairy Tail from back in the day. Are you worried about the strength of your guild? About your public image? The Fairy Tail that I know were more like… they did everything at their own pace. They didn't give a damn about what people thought of them." He asked.

Freed couldn't breathe for a long moment. The weight of those words hitting him far more then he could ever expect. The pressure over his shoulders grew with every passing moment but he couldn't move away. He couldn't tear his eyes from his team fighting against all odds.

 _Fairy Tail, I am truly sorry!_ Freed's mind screamed.

Natsu growled back to Sting with power in every word, "For…their friends, seven years. All that time, they were waitin' for us. No matter how painful it was. No matter how sad. Even if people made fun of 'em. they held on. They held on and protected the guild. This is for their friends that got lost along the way that we're fighting to get back. Now we're gonna show everyone the proof that Fairy Tail's been walking on all this time! So keep on goin'!"

Freed felt his heart lurch in his chest. The tears that were spilling forth from his eyes a mixture of so many emotions. All he could do was utter that mage's name. "Natsu…"

The feelings in his chest were too strong from him to hold back. His tears kept coming spilling over his long lashes.

When finally Natsu crossed the finish line, Freed smiled so wide that his cheeks began to hurt.

As the game began to rap itself up Freed let his shoulders fall along with his head. The weight over his shoulders turned into something different, something like a soothing blanket that smothered him in the best way. The bright and positive emotions that he was feeling at that very moment gave him hope that he had lost so long ago.

"… _ **for their friends that got lost along the way that we're fighting to get back."**_

 _Five and a half years ago_

 _Feed knew that it was a nightmare, there was a small voice in the back of his mind that griped his sanity with all the strength that it could muster. That wasn't enough though, he was still standing in a dark place where the light never shined. His eyes blinded to the pain and suffering that the voices around him were enduring._

 _Screams of agony, pain, and suffering were ringing through the black void that he found himself in. All yelling out to him for something or another._

" _Freed, please!" Evergreen cried._

" _The dragon's here! You have to do something Freed!" Bixslow begged._

" _Freed you promised that you would always be by our side!" Laxus screamed._

 _Then when everything became too much, when everything was crashing all around Freed and all he could focus on was his family begging for his help and the unbearable pain of not being able to give that help. There was a crescendo of voices finally coming to their grand finally._

" _WHY DID YOU LEAVE US!"_

 _Freed's body jerked violently, his covers being pushed off his body. His eyes burned with tears and his throat raw from screaming in his sleep. Every time that he awoke from a nightmare he gave one last shout for the dead that still haunted him._

" _No!" He would beg._

 _From there he would not speak for the rest of the night, his throat tight and his eyes burning from tears that he would not let himself to shed. His body was aching by the time he was able to regain his breathing to something normal._

 _When his feet touched the cold wooden floors, he would shiver. The weight of his nightly nightmare something that he had grown familiar with._

 _Slowly he would push himself up so that he would be able to stretch out his sore limbs. His eyes would trace over his still unfamiliar room given to him by Lamia Scale. Something about it was strange and almost frightening. The pain in his heart that had made itself a home within his very soul just growing in intensity._

 _Rag and a deep self-hatred would soon fuel his next acts._

 _With trembling hands, he would begin to write ruins all over his body. Ruins that would cause such great pain that he would always have to bite his tongue in hopes of keeping his screams at bay. His self-harm would help as his punishment for what he had done to his guild. For all the sins that he had committed for not being strong enough to stand by his guild and keep them from suffering after what happened to Fairy Tail's strongest. Those long moments of pain for Freed helped him clear his mind of the crippling depression that he faced during the day. It help keep his dark thoughts at bay for only a few hours until they began to crawl their way back up his spine and wrap their claws around his soul; whispering all the things that he knew that he was._

 _Coward, weak, spineless, useless, better off gone._

 _Those words that he would hear in his head during the day were the same words that he would whimper to himself when on the cold hard ground covered in violently bright runes of pain. On more than one occasion the rune of death had almost fallen from his lips._

 _The last night that he had ever casted his pain runes was on the very anniversary of his family's death._

 _There he was, on the floor with tears, snot, and spit covering his face contorted in ugly expressions of pain, disgust, fear, and something else that was far deeper in his soul. Like he was losing something in him that night that had the chance of never coming back to him._

 _The one who had found him and put an end to Freed's self-torture was Jura. He had woken up late into the night feeling something dark fall over the entire guild dorms. The strong energy tugging him out of the comfort of his warm bed and leading him down the hall to Freed's room._

 _The dark energy was strongest there, making Jura panic and not give a damn about dorm rules and what they said about knocking first. He waved his hand over the door casting an enchantment given to him by the old hag to open any door that bore the Lamia Scale sign._

 _The moment that the click of the lock was heard he rushed in as quickly as he could. Looking around franticly, the moonlight filtering through the curtains on the far wall did nothing to help. That was until he caught the sound of something soft, like the sound of a dying animal._

" _Freed?" Jura asked with worry laced through his every word. He walked further into the room searching as he went, until he reached the foot of Freed's bed that had been obscured from view by the couch placed right in front of it._

 _A dull purple glow came from that general direction. The same glow that Jura had come to associate with Freed's magic. Panic began to rise in Jura's chest at the thought of what that meant. He was so confused and lost for what to do that his steps became slower. His breathing catching in his throat when he finally was able to see what had cause that night's uneasiness._

 _There on the floor was Freed. His body covered in glowing runes that seemed to burn themselves into his skin. His body trembled violently and his cried were muffled by his bottom lip being caught between his teeth; a bead of blood leaving a trail on his chin as his eyes wept._

" _By the skies! Freed undo these this instance!" Jura demanded. He threw himself on the hard-wooden floor ignoring the protest that his old knees gave him. His strong arms came to wrap around the smaller man and tug him to his chest. "Freed, whatever is the matter you can speak to me. Just please end this hurt, you do not deserve this."_

 _Freed gasped out in pain, his hands flying out and gripping on to Jura's arm painfully. His body began to shake even more as the runes began to slowly fade away. One by one they left Freed's body. The only evidence they left behind was a burn like mark that within hours Freed knew would fade._

" _I left them…" Freed whimpered into Jura's chest. His lean frame shaking with so many emotions that it was impossible for him to think straight. The memory of his many nightmares still bounding around in his fragile mind. For a short moment, the pain that was left behind by his magic was able to clear his thoughts._

 _Jura pressed him closer to his chest and said softly, "You do not deserve this punishment for leaving them. They would have understood why and would have supported you in the end. Freed, please stop this and let Lamia Scale help you. We are your family now and we will never let you bare this pain on your own. Let yourself break and when you are done I will be there to put the pieces back together. You just need to trust me."_

 _Freed took comfort in Jura's voice, his eyes burning with the force of the tears that he finally let spill free._

 _His body shook as he began to let himself fall apart. "They're gone, my family they are all dead!" He sobbed "Evergreen, Bickslow, and Laxus. They were my team, my friends and I did nothing to prevent their deaths. I promised them as their Captain that I would have died for them. Now I am forced to live a life without them." Freed wept for the first time in over a year and a half. The weight of the situation finally settled over his soul like a smothering blanket._

" _I'm all alone…" Freed said lastly before the fight in his body began to give out._

 _Jura can see as a spark of life began to flicker out in Freed's eyes. Something desperate took over him and he held Freed that much tighter._

" _You are not alone; Lamia Scale will be your family until the very end."_

"What an amazing turn of events!" The announcer of the games proclaimed. "Now it is time for the first battle of the day!"

Freed pulled himself slowly from his dark past. For a moment to just collect himself as not to fall into a depression; he thought of how far he had come when it came to Lamia Scale and his magical ability. He was proud of what he had accomplished and slowly he could feel something change within him. Something familiar that hadn't been there in a while.

When he was able to regain his footing in reality he began to head the words of the announcer.

"Our first competitor today is known for his tragic past, his dark magic, and for the fear that he strikes in the hearts of many. From Lamia Scale, Freed Justine!"

Chelia cheered happily to his right. Her eyes shining with clear pride. "Whoever you are going to face will not have a chance against you! You're S-Class!"

Before anyone else could voice their thoughts to a stunned Freed the announcer spoke again.

"From the guild that had everyone scratching their heads. We have the mysterious, the dangerous, Blacksnake from Raven Tale!"

Freed stiffened at the name, his eyes shooting out to glance across the arena to catch Blacksnake's eye.

In that moment, as both competitors sized the other up, they both knew that this was going to end with blood.

Ep 162  
Min 14:46


	11. Chapter 11

Evergreen turned her head to the far side of the arena where Raven Tale was huddled around Blacksnake. There was something in her gut that told her that this wasn't going to end well. Flashes of when Flare had fought Lucy came to her mind. There was clear cheating involved and just what they had did to Wendy was what they had done to Lucy. Now Evergreen was worried that it was going to be the same thing that happened to Freed.

Even after what was years for the Rune Mage, it still felt like it was only yesterday for Evergreen. Her protectiveness over the man still strong and most likely never fade.

"Looks like Freed baby is going to have a rather interesting match," Bickslow mumbled to her. His voice low so that the others in their guild wouldn't butt in.

Ever nodded her head and pushed past a few guild members to try and get a better view of the arena.

Mavis was swinging her legs back and forth. Her glassy eyes examining the entire arena. Her face was set in a hard stare as she began to analyze the fights that was going to start in just a few minutes. For a moment, a dozen outcomes flashed through her mind. All of them leaving Freed as the victor. The ghost had felt his power the moment that he had stepped foot into the battlefield. He was strong but there was something darker in his magic that she was very curious to see unleashed.

Freed was out of sight, covered by his guildmates who were sure to have been trying to give him some advice on what to do during his fight.

"So Lamia Scale was the guild that Freed chose when he left Fairy Tail?" She asked in a soft voice.

Makarov moved to the young girl's side with a painful look in his eyes as he watched Jura move from one side of his team balcony to the other. Very much fretting over, who the old man thought was Freed, like a mother. The man cared for Freed so Makarov was not surprised that the Wizard Saint was a little worried over Freed having to face a member of a dark guild. From what both men had talked about a few months prior, Freed had gone through a lot and Jura and Lamia Scale had been a large part of his recovery.

Makarov, regardless of what happened, still saw Freed as one of his own. Most importantly he saw him a Fairy Tail Wizard. Maybe it was his possessive nature? Maybe it was the old man's stubbornness, but the night before had opened his eyes. Fairy Tail was not fully complete until every one of his children was there by his side. Yes, the old man knew that he was being petty, that Freed was a man that could choose what he wished to do with his magic, life, and future. But what had happened to him the past six years Makarov felt that those six years needed to be eased with a lifetime of joy.

"After what had happened to us he needed a support that Fairy Tail could no longer offer him. I and the guild do not hold anything against him for leaving." Makarov said in a sure voice. "He will always remain a member of this guild even when he bears the sign of another."

Mavis hummed in understanding, her eyes shining with curiosity. "You really do care for these children, don't you?" She said in a light tone, her words carrying an air of fondness and respect. "Freed is a powerful wizard so I am very interested in seeing what he is capable of doing."

"I wish him a quick victory when it comes to my son I do not trust anything that he has power over. That includes is goons." Makarov growled.

Suddenly the entire arena became quiet. The old man looked around confused until he saw Freed begin to walk out into the field.

"May the strength of the Fairies be with him…" Mavis whispered, her eyes narrowed and calculating.

Freed stood in the middle of the hallway, his breathing coming in controlled inhales and exhales. His body began to relax, his mind clearing of anything that could fog his mind. Anything that was keeping him grounded began to slip away from his mind. A slow crawl of magic made it's way from the center of his body to the tips of his fingers that twitched to hold his sword. Already he can feel the call of his darker side, waiting for a chance to leave his body and create a chaos of whoever was put against him.

Luckily for him, his opponent was a person that Freed would not be holding back. He was going to tear Black Snake to a million tiny pieces for what he did to Wendy and for what his guild had done to Lucy.

There was going to be no mercy and he was going to with the battle no matter the cost.

"Freed Justine you may make your way to the center of the battlefield." A Royal Knight roughly said.

The Rune Mage gave the man one last glance and began to make his way out into the arena where he would face off in a battle that he was sure would last no longer than a few minutes.

In the last six years, he was able to grow his power faster than he could ever imagine. He had created new runes, a new demon take over and his ability to write his spells had become a hundred times faster then what they used to be.

He earned the title of an S Class wizard and at that moment he was going to make sure that everyone against him knew about his power and the power that Lamia Scale had.

The light blinded him for an only a short moment. The sound of the announcer's voice booming through the arena and ringing in his ears.

"There we see the great Freed Justine. One of the strongest mages in Lamia. He was able to gain the title of S Class wizard within three years of being with his guild." He said in an excited voice.

Everyone in the arena was going wild. They cheered out for both mages with as much power as they could. At the time the wizards competing couldn't even hear each other.

As Freed's eyes adjusted to the bright afternoon sun he looked across the arena. Black Snake slowly made his way to the center where the Game's Mascot stood. Freed let his body relax as the only thing on his mind was the battle before him. Slowly he felt his magic start to spread from his very core to the tips of his fingers, ready to write a rune at a moments notice.

When both mages were in the center the Pumpkin Head finally began to speak.

"Now before we start the first battle of the day both fighters must understand that loss of life is not the responsibly of the Games. If you die then that must mean that you did not wish to live in the first place." He said those last words with an annoying cackle.

Freed threw a glance at Black Snake and for a moment thought if he would regret killing him. Lucy and Wendy flashed through his mind and at that moment decided that if it came down to it then he would not even bat a lash.

"You both have thirty minutes to win over the other. If neither one of you win then it is a tie. Five points will be awarded to both teams. If only one wins they receive the full ten points." The Pumpkin Head laughed one last time before he rose his hand up in the air. "May the first battle for today begin!" With a snap of his fingers, the masked man was gone in a flurry of smoke, leaving behind Freed and Black Snake.

At that moment, the entire Colosseum went silent. The anticipation thick in the air.

Freed's head tilted to the side, his bangs hiding his eyes. The words that came out of his mouth dripping with venom. "How is it that a dark guild like your gained any sort of recognition?"

Black Snake looked back with wide eyes, a sinister light making them shine.

"How is it that any guild would take you after being a dirty traitor?" Black Snake sneered.

Freed's breathe caught in his throat for a moment. The calm state that he was in, falling apart only a small faction to let in an anger that would fester into something darker in the near future. He should have seen it from the start, but he was blind.

Slowly, Black Snake began to walk around Freed, like a lion circling its prey. His body was loose and relax, his arms limp at his side. The way that he held himself showed that he gave no care in the world.

Freed knew better than that, he knew that there was a sinister power simmering right under the surface.

His hand rose to wrap his nimble fingers around the handle of his sword. His eyes following Black Snake's every move. Slowly he began to move as well, his feet light on the ground.

They circled each other, eyes scanning the other trying to find weaknesses.

Freed told himself that he was not going to make the first move. No matter what the other man said he was going to stay calm and make sure that his emotions were in check. Falling prey to his heart would cost him dearly.

"Is this fight a dance? I was expecting a battle. Scared?" Freed taunted. His lips turned up in a smirk.

Black Snake's eyes hardened into slits. His shoulders tensing for a moment before falling back into an ease state. "You wish, little Fairy. I'm going to make sure that I tear you apart for the fun of it." He threatened.

For a moment Freed said nothing, seeing the way that drove Black Snake closer to the brink of attack.

"A worthless bottom feeder like you would never stand a chance against me," Freed spoke boldly. His eyes were filled with pride.

Black Snake lost his cool composure in a way that no one else would have noticed but Freed. The corner of his lip twitched downward, his fingers reaching out to something invisible. The dark wizard gave one last look before his entire body began to disintegrate into the sand at his feet.

The crowd gasped in confusion, they looked around the arena floor and saw Freed standing alone.

Freed took this as the first move. His body stiffened and he looked around with sharp eyes. The grip on his sword tightened as he pulled it from its sheath. The sound of the metal scraping against the leather rang in his ears like music.

Everything seemed to be at a standstill. Freed turned on the balls of his feet to survey the area around him. The tip of his sword dragging lightly on the ground. Hoping that Black Snake could feel the sharp tip.

The feeling of his magic began to form again in his chest. Spreading out to the tips of his fingers.

Suddenly his hand shot up. A purple glow dancing across his eyes as runes began to form around his. Runes that were so quickly written that they just as quickly disappeared into the earth around him.

A feeling tugged his right side as his runes began to hunt down their target.

The soil began to tremble, bunching together.

He could feel a spark of magic. It was strong without a doubt, but he knew that he was stronger.

Black Snake erupted from the earth in a flurry of power and sand. His eyes sharp and an arm raised, ready to strike the first blow.

In a practice movement Freed brought his blade up in a swift arch. He turned his head sharply to the right and faced off Black Snake. The tip of his blade grazing the tip of the man's nose.

"A true wizard never fights their opponent while their back is turned." Freed snarled.

As quick as lighting Freed dove forward and swung his sword.

When metal hit flesh, said flesh began to crumble into sand.

Black Snake laughed victoriously as Freed pulled back. His face contorted into an angry glare.

Freed watched in rage as Black Snake again began to turn into earth.

The familiar tug pulled his back. Turning around quickly he caught Snake's hard kick. His arm brought up to the side of his head. Runes glowing and acting like a shield to keep him from any damage. He brought up his sword once again. Aiming for the delicate part of his enemy's exposed inner thigh.

Black Snake was ready for that. He dropped his leg. Diving down quickly and making a grab for Freed's hand.

The arm that was shielding Freed's head shot out and delivered a hard punch across Black Snake's face.

The crowd gasped in unison, but the sound didn't register to either fighter.

Black Snake grunted in pain. The throbbing he could feel on half of his face making the world tilt slightly. That didn't deter him from snapping back into attention, he needed to get that sword away from Freed.

Without a moment of hesitation, he threw himself at Freed. His quick fingers wrapped around both Freed's wrist. He pulled all his weight forward and slammed Freed into the ground.

Freed felt the air leave his lungs in an instant. His back screamed in pain as it hit the floor.

The force of the fall had his head snapping back and slamming into the ground. A sharp yell escaped his lips as the pain shot through his head.

"God, I can't wait until you stop breathing!" Black Snake cheered.

Freed tried to move, but his enemy's weight pinned him down. His arms spread out on either side of him. His hand clutching desperately at his sword.

Black Snake cast a quick at the blade. With a wicked smile, he brought up Freed's hand and slammed it back down.

"Let it go! Let it go! Let it go!" He repeated. His words ringing with a sadistic laugh as he continued to slam Freed's wrist in the ground.

Freed thrashed helplessly. Trying to get away from Black Snake. His wrist was in agonizing pain. His grip on his sword was growing weak. Finally, one last hard slam had a sharp pain shoot through Freed's entire arm. He cried out in furry and in pain as he was forced to let go of his trusted weapon.

Black Snake howled in glee. His fingers tightened for a moment until finally, he let go of his trusted weapon.

There lay Freed, defenseless and at the mercy of his enemy. There was natural panic that made his body thrash for a moment. Then the familiar building of his dark magic surged in his core to flare out in his body. His eye was consumed in black and his pupil lit up a brilliant purple.

Around both mages, the air dropped a few degrees.

The crowd grew quiet and watch in suspense as they waited for either one of the competitors to make their next move.

Black Snake felt the shift in energy around them. His eyes narrowed for a moment until he felt something warm on his chest. He looked down quickly and saw bright runes on it.

"What the hell are you doing?" He snarled down at Freed.

Freed gave him a sinister smile. That was the only warning that his opponent was going to have before a sharp hot pain exploded throughout his body, making him hunch over Freed. His grip on Freed's wrist vanished as Black Snake jump off him. His hands clawing at his chest trying to figure out the cause of his pain.

"Did you forget that this is a magical duel?" Freed mocked.

In just a few short moments he was back on his feet. His right was wrist throbbing in pain, but that was something that he was quick to ignore. He glanced quickly to his blade and tried to retrieve it, but the earth around it shook and a pillar of sand shot from up. Throwing his weapon up in the air and across the arena.

Freed was not going to deny the fact that he was facing a strong opponent.

Black Snake was still going through a great amount of pain, but his rage was enough to fuel his sudden magical burst.

Freed scowled in annoyance. His eye shinned brighter causing his rune of pain to glow even more.

The surge of pain that came from that had Black Snake doubling over in pure agony.

Freed took no moment of recovery. He closed the distance between them in just a few long strides. With practice eased he rose his leg and delivered a harsh kick across Black Snake's skull. The power of the blow sending his across the arena and colliding against the wall.

Everyone watching the battle gasped in horror. The announcers looked at one another trying to figure out what they could say.

Freed's hands trembled as he began to hurry over to his sword. Yes, he was able to fight without it. He made sure to train just as hard in hand to hand combat, but there was still this feeling of vulnerability that had him restless.

Maybe it was the rush of power that had his sense of overload or maybe he was just not concentrating enough? He should have felt it, he should have felt the loss the moment that it happened. He should not have left himself open.

Behind him, Black Snake clawed at the ground. The pain that he was experiencing was for once terrifying. He should never have underestimated the little fairy. He should have understood the darkness that seemed to always follow the man. In a moment of desperation, he looked out to his guild.

Obra was at the very edge of the balcony as if waiting for this moment. All Black Snake needed to do was make the smallest inclination with his head and the pain over his chest vanished. He gasped in relief and pushed himself up to face his enemy again. This time, however, with the odds in his favor.

Behind Freed, Black Snake pushed forward. His feet dragging against the ground causing the dirt to fly up around his ankles in a cloud of dust.

"I'm going to end you…" Black Snake hissed.

That was all the warning Freed had until the ground around him lit up in a magical spell. The floor shook and without a second moment to spare a column of explosive sand shot up sending him up into the air.

The audience gasped in horror as they watched Freed be hit with explosive after explosive. It felt like it wasn't going to end. The magical attack just kept going on until everyone had thought that Freed was sure to have been incapacitated.

Freed felt his skin get cut by the sharp and jagged grains of sand. His eyes stung, and tears were desperately trying to clear his vision. The explosives burned at his clothing and marred his skin. He gave a sort cry then biting his tongue as his mouth was filled with sand. He tried to cast a rune to act as a barrier, but his magic was not working. The absence was felt in his very soul. It was like he had just lost his arm. It was like being a tethered ball and being cut from the rope. Freed couldn't help but wonder if this had been the way that Lucy had felt when Raven Tail had nullified her magic. If she felt the same nakedness that Freed was experiencing, then

All he could do at that point was face the pain and attacks. His magic was of no use to try and protect him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Black Snake decided that enough was done to his opponent. He let his spell drop, sending Freed from midair crashing down to the ground again.

Freed's body was on fire, even the slightest movement was making him regret the choice. Still, there was astonishment in how far he had been beaten. He was a fool to have thought that he was invincible. Yet, he couldn't help but feel something dark. Something that was creeping around the back of his mind like an afterthought.

"You are such a weak little Fairy!" Black Snake said gleefully, but there was still a strain in his voice. The way that he held himself was sluggish. His arm coming up and clutching at his chest, the same spot where Freed had cast the rune. "I'm going to show you the real power of Raven Tail."

Freed with the little energy that he had left smirked into the ground. His hair falling over his shoulder to shield his face. "I would have destroyed you and you know it. You're a coward that hides behind others because you're too weak to fight your own battles." Freed said all this as his arms tried him push him off the ground. His body was being hit by the air around him causing his injuries to sting even more. He brought up his knees to get his chest off the ground as much as he could. The mere weight of his body was almost too much for him and it made his elbows tremble.

Black Snake glowed with furry. His body trembled as his magical energy began to hum underneath his skin.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught something shining in the sunlight. It was Justine's blade. In that moment a sinister idea formed in his mind.

Without a second of hesitation, he manipulated the sand around the blade sending it into the air and having it lad in his outstretched hand. The weight of the sword felt odd in his hand, but he wasn't worried about that for what he was thinking of doing.

Slowly he walked towards his fallen opponent, the tip of the sword dragging along the floor.

"I should slice your throat for talking to me like that. I don't need anything to beat you." Black Snake sneered.

When he was close enough he grabbed a fistful of Freed's hair and yanked him off the ground.

Freed's body was at its breaking point. Something was slowly cracking within him. He didn't even have enough energy to try and push Black Snake away from him. His mind didn't even register the pain that she should have been feeling at that moment. Everything was going numb; his body was tingling all over and his mind becomes this fuzzy place of static. All that he could really account for was the glint of his sword. The way that the sun played on the polished metal and flashed in his eyes.

Then like in a blink of an eye his sword was flying through the air towards him pierced right through his body.


	12. Chapter 12

One would expect there to be some sort of pain when getting stabbed by a sharp blade.

For Freed there was nothing. It felt like there was some odd pressure in his stomach that made him uncomfortable, but essentially nothing His mind wasn't able to process the idea that there was a sword currently running through his body right now.

His senses seemed to be at a standstill and all he could feel was a prickling behind his eyes.

Then his entire body lurched forward when Black Snake reached out and painfully pulled the sword from his body. The shock of it sent his body falling forward and his hand coming up to cover his gushing wound.

He could feel something warm leak through his fingers and he could see the hole his own blade left behind.

The pain that followed made his vision go blurry.

 _There's the pain…_ He thought

"Now I'm going to let you bleed out until you faint. Then I'm going to wait till I get my hands on your little friends and I'm going to do the same thing to them that I did to you. I might even use your own sword." Black Snake sneered. His nimble fingers twirling and twisting the sword in his hands like some sort of baton.

He cast his eyes up to see the audience had grown quiet. There was no cheering but a stale air that settled over the entire Colosseum. The tension around him and Freed made the back of his neck tingle with anticipation.

There was one thing that didn't stop flashing in his mind.

 _"_ _Do not underestimate Freed Justine. There is something dark lurking in that boy. Best be aware and ready for whatever it may be." Ivan warned through his golden plated mask. "I will not hesitate to punish you if you fail this battle. There is a reason why you were brought here to battle these weaklings."_

 _Black Snake bowed his head hastily. The memory of Flare was still fresh in his mind._

 _She was weak though, the bitch deserved what she got._

 _"_ _Do not worry Master, I will make an example of him and show everyone the true power of Raven Tail." Black Snake said against the fear that was swelling in his chest. It was not fear for the battle but for the wrath, his master would strike down on him if he even thought of failure._

 _There was a tense moment of silence between the two wizards._

 _Then suddenly a royal guard walked up to them and began to push Black Snake towards to open arena. As they reached the end of the long hallways Black Snake dared to look back. All he saw was his master's receding form quickly going back to the balcony that held the other Raven Tail members. Black Snake couldn't help but think that was his master's way of telling him that he should expect to face this battle alone._

"What do you mean that we can't do anything!" Evergreen shouted. "I am not going to sit here and watch as Raven Tail tortures Freed in front of us!"

Bickslow kept his hands on her shoulder in hopes of keeping her from jumping over the edge of the balcony to try and intervene between Black Snake and Freed.

The mages around her agreed to what she was saying. Some of them were even trying to come up with a plan to save their former guildmate.

Levy was leaning over the railing in hopes of getting a better view of Freed. All she could see where she was standing was Black Snake's back and the glint of Freed's sword.

"I can't see anything from here!" She said.

Next to her Mavis sat with her feet hanging over the railing's edge. Her usually chipper mood had vanished and left her motionless. Her glassy eyes were trained across the arena on Freed. Even though she couldn't see him she could feel his magical energy that was being contained by a nullification spell. Yet even through that, she could feel something darker trying to break free of the spell. Something that wasn't even magic.

"You say that Freed holds a cursed magic," Mavis spoke out into the air.

Levy turned to look at her with confusion until Evergreen broke free from Bickslow's grip and moved next to the First Guild Master.

"What does this have to do with anything. We have to start figuring out a way to get him out of there." She snapped.

Behind her Makarov scoff. "There is nothing that we can do. We are not his guild." Even though he said those words with a sharp tone there was still a sad light in his eyes. "However, Evergreen does have a point. What does his magic have anything to do with the battle?"

There was a moment of confusion in the guild until Mavis turned around with a dark light in her eyes. "His magic is cursed, and it cannot be contained by a simple nullification spell. In a few short moments that will not be the Freed that you know."

Bickslow swallowed back the bile that threatens to rise at the back of his throat. Something in him told him that this was just the start of the battle.

Freed had lost most feeling in his body. The only thing that he could prosses was the numbness that began at the tips of his fingers and spread to the point where the sword had impaled him. That was the only point on his body that he was able to feel anything at all.

It didn't pain as one would expect.

He could feel something different when it came to his magic. It wasn't the solid weight of his runes that were an ever-present sensation when in battle. It was something dark and far more familiar. He felt it first behind his eyes, a burning feeling that had his eyes water for a moment. Then that fire moved down his body to his wound where the burning turned the pain into something almost pleasant.

His nails dug into the dirt for a moment. Freed hoped that Black Snake could feel his nails digging in.

The transformation was like a soft sensual caress. Freed felt it start from the top of his head. His hair grew back to a familiar length. The soft ends of his hair grazed against the small of his back and caught on his bloody scratches.

Then came the more painful part of his takeover.

The joints of his fingers would pop disgustedly, his joints would extend out and his skin would turn black. His claws were sharp and deadly. The black of his skin would craw up his arm until it reached the middle of his bicep. Then his veins would protrude from his skin, looking like an intricate design that would go up the rest of his arms wrap around his neck and would surround his eyes. Which at this point were pitch black. His irises a bright purple that seemed to glow against his dark energy.

His legs were unrecognizable by the point that his transformation was done. They were the same color as his arms, but his feet changed to look like claws of a monster. Two large jagged claws formed the front part of his foot, then where his heel would have been there was another claw. With this new lower half all his weight would be put on the balls of his feet.

His clothing was ruined. His pants were ripped as his legs grew and his shirt that was already in tatters fell from his body.

During all this underneath him was a bright rune with strange markings that no old wizard in the arena could figure out. However, the first master of Fairy Tail knew exactly what those runes meant and who they were from.

The power that she was feeling from Freed was no longer his own. It belonged to something darker, more dangerous.

Then finally Freed spoke, but his voice was no longer his. It was deeper, there was an underlining edge to it that made the entire arena stay silent out of fear.

"You think that this is finished?" Freed growled out.

Black Snake turned away from the crowd slowly. His eyes widen when he saw what Freed had become. Fear made him stumbled back a few steps and drop Freed's sword on the ground,

"What…what are you?" Black Snake stammered.

Freed slowly got back to his feet and towered over his opponent. His smile was wicked, and his teeth were sharp and jagged.

"Death…" was all Freed said before he vanished.

The crowd gasped in unison and tried to figure out what had happened to Freed.

Then the arena was being filled with a blood-curdling scream.

Black Snake had his arms thrown out and his head tossed back as he bared five deep bloody scratches.

Only a few feet in front of him was Freed standing with a bloody hand. Then he vanished again and reappeared right behind Black Snake with a sinister grin. He rose his hand for the second time and grabbed a fistful of Black Snake's hair.

With strength alone, he lifted Black Snake off the ground. Large beautiful purple wings sprouted from Freed's back. The feathers ruffled for a moment until they spread out to their full length and flapped once, then twice until Freed was up in the air taking Black Snake with him by the roots of his hair.

Black Snake cried out, clawing at Freed's hand to try and get him to let go but to no avail. There was nothing that he could do. He was stuck at the mercy of whatever this demon was.

"Now tell me how it feels when someone fucks with your magic." Freed spat.

Another set of runes appeared over Black Snake' chest, but these were darker in color the markings too were different; sharper and scratch like.

Without any warning, Freed pulled his enemy back and flung him to the earth.

The impact was so great that the ground underneath Black Snake was cracked. The poor wizard was covered in dirt and blood. His lungs could barely function to give him the oxygen that he so desperately needed. For a second, fear settled over him and he feared that he was going to die at that very moment. He had pushed too far, he had unleashed something that wasn't normal and that was out to destroy him and anything that would be in his way. Freed was not a wizard at this point he was the Devil.

Freed took in the scene before him. A dark and sinister pride settled over his chest as he felt his lips pull back in a smile. He took his time coming back down to the ground. His wings lazily bringing him to a landing right next to Black Snake's head.

Slowly he reached down with his claws bringing Black Snake back up by his hair. Just like it was done to him. He looked around to try and find what he was looking for and then he spotted them, luckily, they weren't too far.

Freed dragged Black Snake across the arena to where his guildmates were. All of them looked at Freed with fire in their eyes. They looked like if they had the chance they would jump right in and fight him, but it wouldn't be for Black Snake. It would be for the fact that they thought they were better than Freed and thought they had a chance.

God just the idea made him want to laugh.

As he got closer to the dark guild he dragged Black Snake a few more feet until he threw him at his guild's feet.

Freed stood there and looked up at the members. His lips pulled up into a smile and he bowed.

The crowd around him gasped at his boldness.

He slowly rose his head and turned on his heels to walk away from the man on the floor.

There was another moment of silence as he felt the adrenaline in his body began to drain slowly through his wounds. The once warm pain that was just a faint echo was now screaming at him to stop. He could feel the coagulated blood pulling at his skin and something warm ooze out of him every time he breathed in.

Unbeknownst to him, Black Snake was pushing himself up. His eyes still wide with fear and his entire body was shaking. He looked up at his guild Master Ivan and through his golden mask he nodded his head once.

Black Snake's entire body froze. His head fell, and he pulled back his lips into a tight line. Then he began to speak. "You may have been able to take me on but wait until the entire Rave Tail Guild is tearing every little Fairy apart. We already took out two. What were their names? It was some brat and a front heavy blonde." He builds up the courage and laughed into the ground.

The sound alone was enough for Freed to lose control.

"I'm going to kill you!" Freed roared.

Before he was even able to turn, a bright white light blinded his eyes. Then he felt a deep chill crawl up his still monstrous legs. He looked down and saw them covered in ice.

" _Lyon_!" Freed screamed.

Laxus at this point was finally snapped into action.

"He's trying to bait Freed…" was all he said before he was consumed with lighting and swept away in a bright light that sent him flying.

He finally materialized again in front of Freed who at this point was able to free himself from one of the ice restraints.

Freed was stunned to stillness when his entire body was blocked from Black Snake. A painfully familiar black shirt filled his vision then strong arms wrapped around his body.

At that moment his entire body began to shut down. His knees grew weak and his entire weight was resting against Laxus' strong chest.

Laxus lent down so his lip was close to Freed's ear. "You're not a killer Freed."

Freed was finally given the chance to rest, then to his keen ears, he heard Black Snake call out.

"You don't deserve Fairy Tail's kindness. You're the one who abandoned them when they needed you the most. How can you stand there and let him comfort you when you're the one that let them down? You fucking traitor." Black Snake growled out. His body still too weak to get back on his feet.

That was Freed's breaking point. He gave up all control to his demon and let it consume him in a blinding rage.

"You bastard!"

He fought against Laxus' arms. His claws reaching out and digging into whatever available muscle he could reach. Freed trashed and punched Laxus to try and get at Black Snake. His eyes were wide and glowing violently and his power was getting hard to contain within Laxus' arms.

Laxus tried his hardest to ignore the sharp pain that was thrumming all through is his body.

In one last attempt to finally end this battle, he wrapped his arms even tighter against Freed. Then letting his magic consume him like before he shot through the arena and vanished into the winding hallways.

Freed was still screaming and roaring, even after he was pulled away from the fight.

Laxus kept whispering into Freed's ear that it was over, that he didn't need to keep on fighting. That he was safe and was able to rest and recover. He wanted to desperately ignore the fact that blood was staining his entire front. Then slowly Freed began to calm down, until he stopped altogether and stared off into nothingness.

His voice was soft when he whispered out Laxus' name. His body slumped against Laxus' and he lost consciousness.

A soft purple light surrounded his body and then he turned back to himself. His hair shortens back, the horns that had sprouted from the top of his head vanished into the air. His wings began to fade away into little particles while his legs looked like they painfully changed into something normal. Both his arms and legs were angry and red. Laxus almost thought that his skin must have burnt somehow with how much magical energy it took to change back to his normal self.

Coming through the hall Laxus could hear what sounded like a small group running up to him. For a short moment, he wanted it to be the Thunder Legion. Then he saw Lamia Scale running up desperately trying to find out what had happened to their dear friend.

Chelia was the first one to reach the couple. Her hands were raised and at the ready encased Freed in a soothing healing magic that instantly began to give him color.

Lyon walked around Chelia ready to take Freed into his arms and take him to the coliseum's infirmary.

Laxus was not having any of that. If Freed was going anywhere then Laxus was going to be right there.

"Back off Snow Princess…" Laxus growled out in warning.

Before Lyon was even able to come up with a rebuttal, Chelia was pushing past him. Her eyes were wide and frightful conveying emotions that Laxus did not know how to handle.

All Laxus could do at that moment was pull Freed closer to his chest.

"Please, he needs to get help. He won't be able to survive without it." Chelia cried.

Behind Lamia Scale, there was already Royal Medics levitating a small bed there way.

Jura took a step to the side and informed the Medics of Freed's condition. They were nodding their head and rushed forward; roughly pushing through Lyon and Chelia. When they reached Laxus they were stoic when they reached out to take him.

For a moment there was a part of his head that was screaming out to keep Freed close. Then there was a louder part that was telling him that Freed needed to get help. Without it, there was a chance that he wasn't going to make it. The fact that he couldn't feel Freed's magic was enough to make his blood run cold and his mind jumps to conclusions that did not end in the best light.

Finally, Laxus gain reason and moved to the bed that they had wheeled behind them. Gently he placed Freed on the bed. His eyes finally able to take in the extent of his injuries; his skin was a waxy color, the hole in his side had gotten bigger and all the bruises and scratches that littered his body stood out against the contrast of his pale skin.

When Freed was on the bed they began to sweep him quickly away and without hesitation, Laxus began to follow. That was until a Medic came up to him and said sadly.

"Only guild members are allowed to be with the mage."


	13. Chapter 13

Freed woke slowly. The first thing that he noticed was the lack of noise. Then he noticed the soft blanket that was wrapped around his almost naked body. Suddenly he was forced to take account the sharp pain right behind his eyes. He winced loudly at the pain and tried to reach up to touch his face, but there was a heaviness to his entire body. At the realization that he was immobile caused him to panic.

He tried to recall the events that led to that moment.

However, he heard a soft voice call out to him. "Mr. Justine, you have to rest. Your wounds need time to heal."

Beside him was a sweet looking nurse. Her large brown eyes were friendly, her brown hair was pulled away from her face by a white band with the royal insignia. Freed was then able to put two and two together. He was in the royal infirmary for a reason he still wasn't sure of.

"Why am I here?" He croaked out.

The nurse smiled softly at Freed. Then reached out and placed a cold hand against his forehead. Suddenly then pain against his eyes dulled down and his body was overcome with a feeling of fatigue. Freed then came up with another conclusion. She was a very powerful mage with very powerful healing magic.

"You were brought back here after winning the first battle of the day." Her voice growing softer and airier. Something in just the way that she spoke made Freed's eyes fall.

Somewhere far away, he heard a soft tap. He wondered where it was coming from. Before he was able to say anything, he felt himself slip under a current of warm magic.

As the nurse felt Mr. Freed slowly go unconscienced. She looked over her shoulder to watch the door slowly open.

Two people walked in, one wearing a grim look on her face and the other wearing a mask that hid his face very well. She stood up gracefully to greet the two mages. She scanned them quickly to make sure that they were not a threat to Mr. Justine.

"Is there anything that I am able to help you with?" She asked quietly.

The woman before her glanced down at the vase full of flowers that she was holding. Then she looked around the nurse to see Mr. Freed resting.

When she spoke, her voice shook, and the nurse noticed the water in the vase shake a small amount. "We just wanted to know how Freed was doing." The man behind her took a step forward and rested his large hand on her shoulder.

"We know that you have to be a guildmate to visit someone here, but he's our best friend and it's been seven years." Said the masked man. Even through his mask the nurse could tell the man was very worried about Mr. Freed.

The nurse thought for a moment to what he meant about seven years, she noticed the Fairy Tail mark on the woman's breast. Then it hit the woman that Mr. Freed was once a Fairy Tail mage. She looks again at Mr. Freed and felt for the man. How hard must it be to see ghost all around you?

She looked between them and thought that rules be damned.

"It must be very painful to see a dear friend like this." She said with sadness in her voice. "You can stay for a little, I don't want you both to get in trouble."

The man and woman sagged in relief and rushed to Mr. Freed's side.

The kind nurse silently walked towards the door leaving Mr. Freed in good hands.

When the nurse was gone, Bickslow reached out for the vase of flowers and placed them on the small table next to Freed's bed.

Evergreen took a seat as close as she could to Freed and reached out to brush his hair out of his face, any strand that caught on her fingers she would slowly untangle.

Bickslow let his eyes roam over his body and saw as bruises and cuts had already faded away to a yellowish color and small scratches. He, however, knew that his stab wound was going to take a long while to fully heal.

"He's changed so much." He whispered.

He then noticed the wrinkles that didn't smooth away when Freed was fully resting. He also noticed just how different he looked with short hair. Then there was his right hand that was resting over the blanket. Bicks was so used to seeing the Fairy Tail sign there that it was almost too much to keep looking at the naked skin.

"This shouldn't be happening," Bicks said lowly. His hands were at his side balled up to fists. The guilt that was forming in his heart clouding away any rational thought. "I should have pushed him to take the S Class trial. Then he would have been with us when everything turned to shit."

Evergreen took a deep breath before she turned her head enough to the side so Bicks could see the frown in the corner of her lips, "There was nothing either of us could do. We didn't know what was going to happen."

Bicks shook his head violently, causing his mask to bang against the sides of his head. "Regardless of the fact, he was strong enough to have gone."

 _"What do you mean you gave up your spot to Max?" Bicks exclaimed._

 _Freed rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics. "Exactly what you heard."_

 _"I still don't get it…" Evergreen jumped in._

 _Freed this time tried to keep from rolling his eyes again. All he did was take a long sip of his tea. "I require more training before I am ready for the S Trails. Please, respect my choice." Freed said calmly._

 _Ever grew annoyed with her Captain. "Is this because of Laxus?"_

 _Freed's grip on his tea mug grew tighter. There was a flash of pain that crossed his eyes that only his teammates would catch, and they did. Evergreen knew at that moment that she had crossed a line._

 _Before Ever was able to come up with an apology, Freed was already talking in a calm and collected voice. The same voice he used when debriefing them on a plan._

 _"This has nothing to do with Laxus. I decided this because this is something I want to do for myself. Laxus decided to leave because it was the best for him. I am decided not to do the trails because it's best for me." Freed said. Towards the end, his tone shifted to something more pleading. He wanted to start to heal, to grow and finally begin to connect the dots for himself._

 _After what happened during the festival, Freed was hit with the realization that he wasn't living for himself. Ever since Freed had met Laxus he had been desperate for the man's praise. He had become a person living for the convenience of the other. If Freed had more of an identity, then maybe it wouldn't have taken him so long to realize that he wasn't alone._

 _With Laxus leaving it gave Freed a chance to figure himself out and the first step was growing his magic for himself and not for the benefit of being the perfect tool for someone else._

 _Bicks felt stupid for trying to push Freed now that he understood._

 _Evergreen was proud and understanding of Freed. Both guild members knew that Freed was hit the hardest by Laxus exile. Also, he was the one who was able to recover the quickest from it. It had always stunned Evergreen, but now it all made sense and, at that moment, knew what to do._

 _"We are behind you one hundred percent Captain." They both said._

There was a knock on the door, causing both Ever and Bickslow to rush and shield Freed from whoever had decided to show up (Freed would have been furious if found out that he was being treated like some fairy tale princess). Their bodies were ready to spring into action until they saw who it was that had knocked.

Laxus slowly came in looking around hoping that he wasn't going to find someone ready to kick him out. When he saw his team at guard by Freed's bed he smiled in relief. He rushed in, making sure to be careful of the door and pulled Ever and Bickslow into a hug.

"Fuck, I'm glad you guys are here with him," Laxus whispered roughly.

Evergreen pulled back and looked at Freed. "He looks like he's doing a lot better, but we don't know when he'll wake up." She said hopelessly.

Laxus was relieved to see that, yes, Freed was doing better, but he was angry at the fact that he had to sneak in to see his Freed.

Shit, there he goes again. Freed wasn't his, Freed was Freed.

Then it hit him, how was it that his teammates could be there with Freed?

"Wait, I thought only guild members could be in here with Freed."

Bicks moved around to get seats set up for him and Laxus as he spoke. "The nurse that's taking care of him said that it was okay. She said she knew that this was going to be hard. All she said was that we could only stay for a little. We're not sure how long that is."

Evergreen sat where she had been sitting earlier. "I say we leave until she comes back. I don't want to leave Freed alone. Who knows what Raven Tail can do."

Laxus agree on both counts, he wasn't going to leave Freed until he was forced out and he didn't have a single ounce of trust in his father's guild.

"As long as I don't have to deal with Lamia Scale, then I'm fine." Laxus' snorted.

Evergreen rolled her eyes. "Laxus, I want Freed back just as much as you, but they deserve to be here. Lamia Scale was there for him when we weren't able to."

"She's right baby, the quicker you figure that out the easier this can be," Bick said softly as he sat next to Ever. His hand coming to rest on top of Freed's shin.

Laxus' shoulders sagged when he heard his teammates. They were supposed to be on his side, feeling just as fiercely that Fairy Tail didn't feel like home until Freed was back. With those thoughts racing through his head he walked around the bed to take a seat right next to Freed.

There was a moment of silence between the 3 of them. All members of the Thunder Legion watching over their Captain.

It was strange for all of them because the seven years had yet to feel real. To all of them, it felt like a cruel joke that they soon hope would pass. Sadly, the more times goes by and the more they see the world at large has changed a drastic amount the more they are faced with the reality that they lost seven years.

"I wonder if Freed baby was happy while we were away," Bickslow whispered.

Evergreen's face grew sad because she knew that Freed hadn't been happy. She could tell in just his eyes. When they had been together they were filled with light. Now when she had seen them, even through a lacrima screen she could tell that the light had gone.

Before anyone had a chance to respond to Bickslow's question there was a soft knock at the door, Laxus caught their scent soon enough to reassure his team with a nod of his head that it was a friendly.

The nurse came walking in with a tray of light food. Her eyes fell first on Freed and then on the Thunder Legion. Her lips curled up in a sad smile.

"I'm afraid that you are going to have to leave now." She said with genuine sadness in her voice. "If it is any form consolation, Mr. Freed will be able to get back on his feet by tomorrow. Given that he has enough rest and is taking things slowly.

As the nurse said this, Ever and Bickslow made sure that Freed was covered fully by the thin blanket and that the flowers that they had brought him had enough water.

Laxus was hesitant to leave Freed's side, but a little part of him was relieved that he was going to be okay come tomorrow. So, he got up and watched as Evergreen bent down and pressed a kiss on Freed's forehead.

Slowly the Thunder Legion pulled themselves away from their Captain's side. They all thanked the nurse for giving them the chance to stay with Freed. As they were already at the door Laxus realized just how thin the blanket was.

Freed was going to be cold without something thicker keeping him warm. So, without a moment of hesitation, Laxus took off his coat and draped it across Freed's sleeping form.

"This is to make sure that Freed stays warm," Laxus told the nurse as he fixed his coat to make sure it covered Freed entirely.

The nurse ushered them out at their own pace which was very slow, but when the room was once again empty she let her heart full of sorrow for the Fairy Tail guild and for Freed Justine.

When the Thunder Legion was about to part ways. They turned to face each other.

Laxus gave his teammates a small smile. "I promise to kick Raven Tail's ass." He said.

Evergreen laughed and Bicks smiled "You better." They said in unison.

When they were both out of site, Laxus finally let the gravity of the situation hit him. He finally let sink that there really had been seven years between Freed and him. Seven years where Laxus hadn't been there for Freed the way he should have; the way he had never been. Laxus knew that he had treated his entire team terrible. He also knew that out of everyone, Freed had been treated the worst. He had used him as a dog, sending him to finish any dirty job that he didn't feel like dealing with.

Laxus took advantage of the light in Freed's eyes and his eagerness to please.

Laxus knew that Freed had turned himself into a fool for him. Freed had never been living for himself, he had lived for Laxus.

The more he would think about it the more this feeling of guilt began to fester. How could he have been so selfish? In what world did he ever deserve Freed.

Freed deserved to have the entire fucking world, not some piece where he loses himself.

With that realization Laxus let his head hang low. If he was serious, then he needed to understand that it was up to Freed if he was going to rejoin the guild after seven years.

He felt like he was admitting defeat, but Laxus knew that he had been doing everything for himself. He not once thought about Freed. Now he had to. If only to try and ease Freed as much as he could from everything that he had gone through.

He wasn't going to bring back Freed to the guild. He was going to reassure Freed that no matter what happened between them, Laxus plans to never leave his side ever again regardless of what guild he was in.

Again, Freed was able to wake up. This time with a lot less pain. He also couldn't help but noticed just how warm he was. For a moment he wanted to just bury himself in the warmth and soft fur that brushed against his face.

 _Wait…fur?_

He didn't remember the sheets lined with fur.

That was when he decided to open his eyes to figure out exactly what was going on. Luckily his body was in better shape, so he was able to sit up slowly. As his eyes adjusted to the bright white light of his room, he first caught sight of something bright right on the table next to his bed. When he turned to look at what it was he was shocked to see a large vase of flowers.

There was large bright chrysanthemums at the center, around them were gladioluses and just put in were a few sunflowers. The smell was strong, but it did not bother Freed it actually help relax his tight muscles.

Then he turned his back and looked down to see the primary cause of his confusion. Draped over his body was a large black blanket with light grey fur lining. At least that was what he thought first. Then he noticed that the blanket wasn't a blanket but a coat.

It took Freed a few seconds to realize just who had left their coat with him. Then the answer hit him like a tuck. Not only did it give a name to the coat but also who had brought the flowers.

Laxus had come to see him and Evergreen and Bickslow had brought him the flowers.

His arms came out from under his makeshift blanket and rested atop of the soft worn felt of Laxus' coat. Then his fingers moved out to play with the fur.

A small smile grew on his lips and his eyes grew soft as he pulled up the coat to his face, so he could bury his face in the soft fur and for a moment forget the last seven years.

"I am very glad to see you awake Mr. Freed." Spoke a soft voice.

Freed fought the blush on his cheeks as he brought down the coat from his face.

"Yes, I am glad to not have to wake up to too much discomfort. I believe that is all thanks to you madame." Freed said politely.

Now it was the nurse's time to blush. "I am only doing what is needed to be done. To say that you look much better than you did hours earlier would be an understatement."


End file.
